For the Life of me
by captainwaldo
Summary: This story is my interpretation of the generation that came before Harry and his friends. Its the story of eight kids who grew into heroes, the heroes of the first War against Voldemort aka:Marauder Era Contains spoilers! OoTP
1. The Begining, Middle, and End

The Beginning, Middle, and End

_For the life of me I cannot remember  
What made us think that we were wise and  
We'd never compromise  
For the life of me cannot believe  
We'd ever die for these sins  
We were merely freshman_

_-"The Freshman" Verve Pipe_

It's the story everyone knows, but no one really knows. Before "The-Boy-Who-Lived" came the saga of those who lived and died for his sake, and the sake of his peers.

During Lord Voldermort's first reign of terror, many lives were lost on both sides, although many of those stories have never been told. They were the unsung heroes of the war, the fallen soldiers whose names were forgotten not long after they fell. An entire generation fragmented by a force of evil so powerful it can shake the foundation of the world we all live in. In times of such darkness lines get blurry, and relationships falter. Those you once held closest to your heart become the ones you fear the most, whether it be because of your own insecurities or a force outside of yourself.

Before darkness fell on our world, and before our heroes fell, there was a world where children could laugh and learn. A world where death was a fear of the old and unhealthy, not the strong and youthful. A world where boys pull pranks and girls pretend to be princesses. A world where love blooms in the most unexpected places, or in the most painfully obvious ones. A world where pure-bloods and muggle-borns were free to be the best of friends, and where werewolves are accepted into normal society.

This story starts in the early years, before Lord Voldemort was feared, before his Death Eaters had terrorized countless wizards and muggles. This story starts with the friendship of two girls, two girls who are suddenly in the center of a world where all their wildest dreams come true, and where princes really do exist. This story begins somewhere in the middle, with what everyone knows, a death so unbelievable that many are left in denial…

_Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room._

_The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest._

_The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock._

_Harry released Neville, though he was unaware of doing so. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore turned to the dais too._

_It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch…_

_And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise on his godfather's wasted, once handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place._

_Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but knew it meant nothing – Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side and second…_

_But Sirius did not reappear._

_"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled. "SIRIUS!"_

_He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Sirius must be just behind the curtain, he, Harry, would pull him back out again…_

_But as he reached the ground and sprinted toward the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back._

_"There's nothing we can do, Harry –"_

_"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"_

_"It's to late, Harry –"_

_"We can still reach him –"_

_Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go…_

_"There's nothing you can do, Harry…nothing…He's gone."_

I begin my tale now at the beginning. The beginning for several different people. For each hero has their own beginning, even if their end is all the same.

"_Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. Follow your heart kid, and you can dono wrong." –Babe Ruth, The Sandlot_

A/N: Just some things I want to clarify from here on out. Only the first 7 chapters will be told from one point of view. After school starts, each chapter will have anywhere from one to seven points of view at once, but I will try to keep it clear. I will be focusing a lot at first on my own character, Adrianne and Lily, but I'm not going to forget about the Marauders or Jena and Chrissy. I really hope to carry this one out through book 5 and beyond to my made up Lupin and Peter deaths. This story will defiantly be dealing with dark themes, and may be mildly sexual and languagey (a word which I just made up to describe it). You are forewarned, lots of death and stuff to come (which is pretty much a given from what I started off with). I hope you enjoy, and please comment along the way to give me encouragement to continue on, and help me fix any problems or writer's block I may have. Also, if anyone has any really good song quotes that you might want me to try and incorporate into my story, I could use the inspiration. And if you can think of anything better than what I have chosen for the chapter then let me know and maybe I will change it. Be warned thought that some of the quotes I am really attached to and have a significance to my story. Also, if anyone is really creative and wants to write me a sorting hat song, that would be wicked awesome and I would love you forever! I am so not that creative, and right now I have the song from Harry's first year as the song, so let's make it a little game! Also, I am taking applications for proof readers which may turn into a co-writership or something like that. Let me know if you are interested in comments.

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	2. Barefoot Ballet

A/N:Ok, so I thought it would be a good idea to post more than just that little snippet of an opening chapter, or people won't want to read this! I have the first 11 chapters completed (as well as the last few...haha!) so until I run out of completed work my updats will be pretty regular (weekly...hopefully the same day of every week) This chapter here is the origional first chapter for this story before I expanded it to the proportions I expanded it to. Adrianne is my character, I know all the details of her (well because I created her) and I will use her as a major focus of this story. Don't worry thought, the next chapter will show some familiar names!

A Barefoot Ballet

_You're an contrast to what I've become  
__no one has touched me like you  
__You in my arms, breathless and sure  
__A barefoot ballet on a bare hardwood floor  
__So much in sync it seems like we barely move  
__-"Barefoot Ballet" Wally Kurth and Adrianne Leon_

Adrianne Laverte was only 8 months old when her parents Edmund and Elizabeth died in a horrible car wreck in London. She was left in the care of her only living relative, an old war veteran who lived in a small chateau in northern France, her paternal Grandfather. Mr. Laverte moved into his son and daughter-in-law's house just outside of London, England 3 days after their death to care for young Adrianne. It had been years since Mr. Laverte had been around children, and even then his wife had been the primary caregiver. Suddenly he found himself quite alone with his infant Granddaughter and no idea how to care for her. In the days following the funeral services for Edmund and Elizabeth, friends and co-workers of the deceased came to help the ageing man in getting adjusted to life with a young child.

As the infant grew into a toddler, and then into a young girl, Mr. Laverte grew more comfortable with his Granddaughter. He took her to his chateau often and taught her French as well as English. He answered every question she asked as honestly as he could. When young Adrianne would come into his room at night, shaking in fright from a nightmare she'd awoken from, Mr. Laverte would console the child and tell her stories of princesses and royal balls. By the age of 7 Adrianne had earned the nickname Princesse Adrianne from her adoring grandfather. Mr. Laverte and Princesse Adrianne would dance in the ballroom of the chateau, which had affectionately been named by Princesse Adrianne "Le Petit Chateau." The odd pair would twirl and spin around the grand ballroom, humming the tune of a waltz or sweet melody of old. Mr. Laverte affectionately named their dances "the barefoot ballet" because they were nearly always bare foot.

On Princesse Adrianne's 11th birthday, celebrated at Le Petit Chateau as always, a letter was delivered by owl. Mr. Laverte knew what the letter was concerning, and had been dreading the day for 10 years. His son had married a witch, something he believed to be a joke until Elizabeth turned a glass into a bouquet of roses in front of his eyes. When the couple found out they were pregnant, Mr. Laverte knew their child would be magical too. He didn't mind, knowing that it was a gift and not a curse, but he was wary as most are of the unknown. And then came the car crash, killing Edmund and Elizabeth, and leaving their 8 month old daughter, an 8 month old witch in the hands of her aging Muggle Grandfather. He would be responsible for explaining to her that she was a witch and sending her off to school when she was 11.

Princesse Adrianne excitedly ripped open the letter. Her mouth dropped open as she read the words written. Mr. Laverte waited patiently for the moment he would have to explain the letter and the girl's magical background, a story he didn't quite understand himself.

"Grand-père, Grand-père! Listen to this:

_Dear Miss Laverte,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress"_

The excitement shown in Princesse Adrianne's face. "Is it true Grand-père? Am I really a witch?"

"Oui Princesse Adrianne, it is true." Mr. Laverte said solemnly. "Your mother was a witch, and she passed her magic onto you."

"And I get to go to this school, this Hogwarts?"

"Oui," Mr. Laverte said. He was torn between excitement for his Granddaughter and the sadness of losing the little girl who lit up his dark life. He explained to the young girl about her parents, and about finding out the girl his son wanted to marry was a witch. Princesse Adrianne hung on to his every word, fascinated about such an in-depth story about her parents.

"But, Grand-père, what will you do while I am at school?"

"I will stay here, at Le Petit Chateau and await your return for the holidays."

Princesse Adrianne looked saddened by this announcement, but tried to cheer her grandfather up. She took him in her arms and led him to the grand ballroom. She put a record into the old record player and played a sweet tune. Mr. Laverte and Princesse Adrianne began their ritual of twists and twirls around the room, only stopping when they got dizzy. After the dizziness set in, Grandfather and Granddaughter would lay in the center of the room and stare at the elegantly painted ceiling.

"What shall we do now Princesse Adrianne?" Mr. Laverte asked his granddaughter.

"Presents!" Princesse Adrianne cried out in excitement.

"Very well then, to the parlor for presents." Mr. Laverte always bought his Granddaughter the finest presents money could buy. She had no one to spoil her but him, and he wanted her to feel like a princess. For her 11th birthday, Princesse Adrianne got several new outfits, including a satin nightdress and matching satin slippers. Mr. Laverte also gave her a small ring with a tiny princess cut diamond which she could wear if she promised to take extra care of it. Princesse Adrianne hugged her Grandfather after opening all of his gifts and thanked him.

The pair shared a small chocolate cake in the kitchen before returning to the ballroom. As was tradition on Princesse Adrianne's birthday, they would sit in the ballroom and tell stories of princesses past and wait for their cake to settle before resuming the barefoot ballet. The music would play into the night, and Grandfather and Granddaughter would sleep in the grand ballroom with the moonlight pouring in from the giant windows.

It was raining softly the next morning when Mr. Laverte and Princesse Adrianne woke up in the grand ballroom. They packed up Princesse Adrianne's presents and a few of their belongings that would be returning to London with them. Mr. Laverte's private jet is parked at a hangar just 5 minutes away from le Petit Chateau, and was ready and waiting for them when they arrived by taxi. Princesse Adrianne always hated leaving le Petit Chateau, although she did love the house in London. The flight is under an hour and Princesse Adrianne watches the scenery below her every time. The scenery rarely changes, but Princesse Adrianne fantasizes about what is going on below her.

Mr. Laverte's private jet also has a hangar in a small privately owned airport not far from the house outside of London. Again, the pair travels via taxi to their home. The house is nothing spectacular compared to le Petit Chateau, but is a lovely home.

Princesse Adrianne ran straight upstairs to her bedroom, where she set her presents down on the hard wood floor. At the center of the large room stood a tall canopied queen sized bed. Princesse Adrianne was very small and hardly needed such a big bed, but she absolutely loved feeling like a princess in her bed. On either side of the large bed were tall windows that were flanked by long silk curtains to match the hangings on the bed. On the far wall was a small sofa that was piled high with satin pillows and stuffed animals. On the near was a large wardrobe that took up much of the wall space, and was made of the same wood as the flooring. Pictures of artwork, Princess Adrianne, her grandfather, and her parents were hung on the open wall space in the room. Princesse Adrianne loved her room. She loved everything from the hard wood floors, to her big bed, to the pictures on her wall, to the fabulous view of a small pond from her windows. Her bedroom was by far her favorite room in this house.

She sat on her bed and looked through the boxes that held her birthday presents. She had no living relatives except for her grandfather, but some of her parent's friends, and neighbors also sent her small birthday gifts. There was one, tucked away in a box that held Princesse Adrianne's satin slippers was a gift she had not noticed before. It was wrapped in shinny silver paper, tied in a bow of pink silk ribbon. She hesitated before opening it quickly. There was a card at the top of the box once she opened it. She read through the letter, hoping it would explain why she hadn't noticed it before. She assumed it was from her grandfather, as it was tucked in one of his other gifts.

_Dear Adrianne,_

_Happy 11th Birthday! I am not sure how much your grandfather has told you, but I am sure at this point you have received your Hogwarts acceptance letter. I was a dear friend of your mother's during her days at Hogwarts. I remember when she met your father. She told me, that first night that she was willing to give up her world, our world for him._

_I supported my friend whole-heartedly, and continued to be friends with her until her death. I was maid of honor at your parents wedding, and I was asked to be your Godmother when you were born. If anything were to happen to your parents, it became my responsibility to introduce you to the Wizarding world once you turned 11._

_That day has come. First, I would like to say, welcome back. Your mother would be so proud of you, simply for making it this far. I have stayed in touch with your Grandfather, to fulfill my promise to your mother when I agreed to be your Godmother. We both decided it would be better for you to grow up with him, away from the Wizarding world and away from me. He has sent me pictures of you often, and I am proud to say that you look just as beautiful as your mother did at your age._

_I would like to meet with you in person soon. I am sure you have no idea how to get all you Hogwarts supplies, and I will be able to help you out with that. Your mother has a small fortune in Wizard money in our bank, Gringotts, which will pay for your books, robes, wand and other supplies for all seven years you will be studying at Hogwarts._

_I am anxious to meet with you, and to take you shopping for your school supplies. For now, Happy Birthday and enjoy your gift._

_Sincerely,  
__Matilda Burr_

Princesse Adrianne read and reread the letter before turning back to the small box in her hand. The gift was wrapped in a sheet of white tissue paper, but a small glint of silver poked out from the edge. Princesse Adrianne tore the tissue paper away and saw that it was a shiny silver locket. On the front was the engraving of a small rose and the initials E.H. which Princesse Adrianne guess stood for her mother's name, Elizabeth Halliwell. She opened the locket to see a picture of her mother, small, but moving like a tiny movie. Princesse Adrianne nearly dropped the locket in shock. She ran downstairs to show her grandfather, bringing the letter along with her.

"Grand-père! Grand-père!" She yelled, running through the house trying to find him. She finally located him in his study. "Grand-père, I found this present among my others and opened it. Look, there was a note with it." Princesse Adrianne said excitedly. Her grandfather took the letter and read it.

"Yes, I was expecting this. Matilda and I have discussed this several times, although this is all happening much sooner than I had expected." The man before Princesse Adrianne seemed to have aged half a century in the past few minutes. Mr. Laverte never looked his age, still holding a boyish air about him, especially in the presence of his beloved granddaughter. But at the thought of Princesse Adrianne growing up and leaving him, Mr. Laverte lost all of his youthfulness, and became the elderly man of 76 he should have been.

"Grand-père? Is something wrong?" Princesse Adrianne asked, sensing the change in her grandfather.

"No, my princesse, I just now realized that you are getting older, as am I." Mr. Laverte found his way into a large armchair and sat down. Princesse Adrianne walked over to him and knelt down in front of him.

"Grand-père, of course I am getting older! That is what little girls do, they grow up."

"I know, my princesse, I know."

Mr. Laverte contacted Miss Burr who came four days later to take Princesse Adrianne shopping for her school supplies. Miss Burr was a middle aged woman with flaming red hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was dressed casually in jeans and a nice shirt. Princesse Adrianne was fascinated by this strange new woman who was close friends with her deceased mother. The girls set of for London together, waving goodbye to Mr. Laverte.

Once they were in London, Miss Burr parked the car and they walked a short distance to a dingy bar that was barely noticeable called The Leaky Cauldron. Princesse Adrianne tried to take in the entire room at once, but was overwhelmed by the new and interesting sites in front of her. Miss Burr led her out back to a small alleyway where she pulled out a narrow piece of wood and tapped a brick on the wall. Princesse Adrianne thought she was mad, and was taken aback by a large archway that opened in the once solid brick wall. Through the archway they followed a winding cobble street. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, Adrianne." Miss Burr said as she walked through the archway. Princesse Adrianne tried to look in every direction at once. There were shops with stacks of cauldrons outside of them, an apothecary, a pet store which house owls, cats and other strange animals, a sports store unlike any Princesse Adrianne had ever seen before, and a giant bookstore. Miss Burr led Princesse Adrianne through the street to a large marble colored building.

"Gringotts, a Wizarding bank. That's where your mother's money is stored. We'll fill up a bag for you and then do some shopping." Miss Burr explained as they entered the bank. Princesse Adrianne was amazed by the creatures that ran the bank. She wasn't sure what they were, only that they weren't human. She didn't feel it was polite to point and ask Miss Burr what they were so instead decided to make sure she found it out somewhere else.

Miss Burr led her over to the counter where one of the strange creatures took their information and directed them to a cart that would take them to their vault. Princesse Adrianne was hesitant to get into the cart but Miss Burr insisted it was alright. They twisted through a maze of passageways, turning left, and right, and dipping down at increasing speeds. Finally the cart slowed to a stop and they got out. The creature took out a small key and unlocked the door revealing a vault filled with large shiny piles of coins. Princesse Adrianne always knew her family was wealthy, but never in her life had she seen so much money. Miss Burr grabbed a large handful of coins and led Princesse Adrianne back to the cart. Once the cart got moving again, Miss Burr took out three different coins and showed them to Princesse Adrianne.

"This is Wizarding money Adrianne. The gold one is called a Galleon, the silver ones are Sickles, and the little bronze ones are Knuts. Its seventeen Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle." Miss Burr explained. Princesse Adrianne nodded as she inspected each coin.

When they reached the fresh air outside of Gringotts, Miss Burr turned to Princesse Adrianne and asked, "Do you have you letter with you, Adrianne?"

Princesse Adrianne pulled the envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Miss Burr. Miss Burr pulled out a slip of paper that Princesse Adrianne hadn't noticed before.

"Right, well we need to get you your uniform, your course books, a cauldron, a telescope, brass scales, a set of phials, and of course your wand. Let's get that first shall we?" Princesse Adrianne followed Miss Burr into a shop called Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. Mr. Ollivander was a short old man with wide, pale eyes. He seemed very eccentric to Princesse Adrianne, but was very helpful in picking out her wand. He rambled on about how he remembered her mother's first visit, and informed her of the exact wand she used, which of course meant nothing to Princesse Adrianne who was clueless about wands. He then pulled out a tape measure to take her measurements, although the tape measurer seemed to have a mind of its own. Mr. Ollivander pulled several boxes off a shelf and had Princesse Adrianne try them all out. The first two were ripped out of her hand almost instantly, but the third felt warm in her hand, and created beautiful pink sparks as she swooshed it in front of her.

"Yes, yes, nine inches, unicorn hair, holly, nice wand, excellent for transfiguration." Mr. Ollivander said. He rang her up and they were on their way. Princesse Adrianne was excited with all the purchases she was making that day and couldn't wait to get home and start reading all her new textbooks. Miss Burr recommended some extra books for Princesse Adrianne to get herself better acquainted with the Wizarding world before she entered Hogwarts. Before leaving Diagon Alley, Miss Burr treated Princesse Adrianne to an ice cream from Florean Fortes cue's  
Ice Cream Parlor.

When Miss Burr and Princesse Adrianne returned to the house outside of London, piled down with strange shaped packages and heavy books, Mr. Laverte was waiting for them. Princesse Adrianne told him all about the shops they went into and about Gringotts. Mr. Laverte could tell his granddaughter was very excited. Before leaving, Miss Burr said that the train to Hogwarts left King's Cross Station at 11am on September 1st, and that she was more than willing to accompany them to platform 9 and ¾. Both Mr. Laverte and Princesse Adrianne looked strangely at Miss Burr when she said the platform number, but after checking the tickets it seemed she was right. She said goodbye and promised to see them in four days when the term started.

A/N: I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	3. Finding My Way

Finding My Way

_Here I am unseen  
You look right through me unaffected  
So stand beside me  
And don't deny me  
And help me find my way_

_-"Here I Am" Adrianne Leon_

Sirius Black was born into one of the oldest and purest wizarding families in England. He lived in London his entire life, only leaving the city to visit relatives or close friends of the family. He never had any real friends, only relatives of a similar age. There was his cousin Daphne, who was nearly his age, but he never saw her, and his younger brother Regulus, or his older cousin Narcissa, but none of them were worth his time. Sirius felt like an unwelcome stranger in his own home. His parents never loved him – he wasn't sure they knew the meaning of the world.

Mr. and Mrs. Black gave their son's everything they ever asked for. Sirius had a brand new racing broom every 5 months, but it wasn't gifts he craved. Sirius Black wanted a place where he was wanted, where people would actually notice if he was there or not.

Another birthday came and went unnoticed by Mr. and Mrs. Black. Sirius wanted the latest edition of the comet racing broom series, and it was waiting at the foot of his bed when he woke up on that December morning. Sirius noticed that there were no wrappings and no note. He took his new broom downstairs, hoping to run into any form of human life. He found the kitchen deserted and made himself some toast. It was all he knew how to make in that kitchen since he wasn't old enough to use magic and the house elf was nowhere to be seen.

Sirius sat alone at the head of the long table eating his very burnt toast and thinking bitterly how much he hated his birthday. No one was even around to forget it was his birthday. Regulus was hardly company, but even he was strangely absent.

Long after the toast was gone, and the crumbs had been swept away, Sirius was still sitting at the head of the very long table, daydreaming of a better life. He imagined what it would be like to have a happy birthday, with cake and balloons and ribbons and bows on the presents. He imagined what it would be like for his mother to hug him, hold him in her arms protectively. He imagined his father taking him flying, and he imagined Regulus looking up to him in the way only little brothers could. He wondered if anyone really lived like that, and if so why couldn't he.

Sirius was brought back to the stark reality of his life by the sound of someone entering the front door. His heart sank, his parents were home. Surely he would get yelled at for oversleeping and for sitting in the kitchen all afternoon. His mother would glare at him with her cold dark eyes, a glare that sent chills up his spine. His father would look indifferently at him, looking through Sirius rather than at him. Regulus would smirk at the thought of Sirius getting in trouble, and on his birthday. It was likely that Sirius's aunt and uncle would be with them, who hated him as much as everyone else in the family. The only comforting thought was that his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa wouldn't be there.

The Black family has a noble and ancient history, which they had always prided themselves on. Sirius was the eldest male in his family, and therefore the Black heir, but he didn't care. He hated being a Black, and didn't want to be some stupid heir. He wanted to escape to foreign places where he could be happy for once in his life. He wanted to be like his cousin Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa's sister, who had left her parents house as soon as she was of age. Last he had heard of Andromeda, she was engaged to a muggle-born named Tonks. He remembered his aunt's reaction to this news. She blasted Andromeda off the family tapestry with so much force it smoked for weeks.

Sirius wished he could get blasted off that damn tapestry. He hated walking past the drawing room and seeing it there, hanging there taunting Sirius.

"SIRIUS!" came the screeching voice of his mother. He winced at the sound of his name. He decided it was best for him to meet his family in the entrance hall rather than have them find him here in the kitchen.

Sirius walked the short distance from the kitchen to the entrance hall. Sure enough Uncle Aidan and Aunt Elladora were there. The entire family glared at Sirius as he entered, something he was so used to it didn't even faze him anymore. "Good morning" he muttered, sounding as if the morning was anything but good. No one even reacted to his greeting, except to continue their piercing glares. Sirius rolled his eyes slightly and made a face, which seemed to get much more of a reaction. Mrs. Black reached forward and grabbed her son by the arm and dragged him aside.

"You wipe that look off of your face young man! Take your Aunt and Uncle's cloaks." Mrs. Black demanded of her young son.

Sirius mumbled a "Yes mum" before returning to his family and accepting the cloaks that were thrown into his arms. As he walked to the hallway closet he thought bitterly that this was servant work, not the job of a family heir. _Some heir, _Sirius thought.

Uncle Aidan and Aunt Elladora stayed all day, with no mention at all of it being Sirius's birthday. He was 11, and it meant that come September he would be going to school. Sirius dreaded this more than anything because he knew his mother would use Narcissa as a spy at school.

Sirius snuck upstairs to his bedroom after supper. He didn't want to be around his family anymore, and he knew he wouldn't be missed. The Blacks treated Sirius like a nasty piece of furniture that nobody liked but they wouldn't get rid of. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He hated his bedroom, it was like a little jail cell. His window was big enough for him to receive sunlight, but it was too small and high up to be used as any kind of escape route, that is unless he wanted to break several bones in the process. It took several hours for Sirius to fall asleep. He could hear his family downstairs, talking and making what sounded horribly like laughing. They never laugh. Blacks don't have a sense of humor. Or at least normal Blacks don't have a sense of humor. And Sirius is anything but a normal Black.

Sirius liked to wander the streets of London. His mother rarely let him leave the house alone, afraid he would get ideas and run away to live like a muggle. Sirius took advantage of every opportunity he got to leave. Even as an eleven-year-old boy, Sirius was never afraid to be alone in the city. He would walk down the streets and look into the big windows of muggle shops, eyeing the strange things muggles came up with in fashion, appliances, and furniture. Sometimes he would take the underground across town and enter the Leaky Cauldron and go to Diagon Alley and wander the wizarding street, but he preferred muggle London.

One Tuesday afternoon in late July, as the owl post arrived, a letter was delivered by an official looking owl to Sirius. Without picking it up, Sirius knew it was his Hogwarts letter. He'd been expecting it for weeks now, part dreading and part longing for it. He opened the letter carefully, feeling his mother's gaze on him.

_Dear Mr. Black,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Sirius remembered Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa receiving the exact same letter years earlier. He read the letter four times through just so he didn't have to look up at his mother. Regulus ripped the letter from Sirius's hand as he was midway through the fourth reading and passed it to his mother. Mrs. Black glanced at the letter quickly and then looked to her eldest son.

"I see they've let you in boy. Now don't you go tarnishing the reputation of this family, befriending mudbloods and blood traitors like that Dumbledore." Mrs. Black said coldly to her son. Sirius hated when he spoke to her like this. Actually he hated when she spoke at all, but he particularly hated her condescending pureblood-mania. Sirius couldn't understand how being a pureblood wizard could make someone any better than a mudblood or half-blood.

Sirius didn't think anymore about his Hogwarts letter for the rest of July and much of August. But as September 1st approached, Sirius realized he didn't have anything he would need to start school. He approached his father about the subject, but all he got for a reply was a loud grunt and a "go ask your mother." Mr. Black never made any decisions without his wife. Sirius wondered if he even dared blink without her permission. Sirius went to ask his mother.

"Mum?" he asked softly.

"What do you want?" She said angrily.

"Well, it's nearly September 1st and I haven't got any of my school supplies yet." He said in a near whisper. Sirius was terrified of upsetting his mother, and didn't want to take on a tone that would start her yelling at him.

"And what do you plan on doing about that?" Mrs. Black had a way of making everything seem like its Sirius's fault.

"I was wondering if you could take me to Diagon Alley."

"Why don't you go yourself? You seem so keen to take walks through the muggle city, why not make a stop at Diagon Alley?"

"I –, I don't have any money."

Mrs. Black thrusted a bag of gold into her son's hand and told him to go. Sirius stared at the bag of gold in his hand in awe. His mother had never given in to him so quickly, and has never trusted him with money.

Sirius darted out of the house as quickly as he could, before his mother got the chance to change her mind and take it all back. He walked most of the way to The Leaky Cauldron for fear that his bag of gold would attract attention on the underground. Sirius was exhausted by the time he reached the Leaky Cauldron, and stopped to buy himself a drink.

After finishing his ice-cold cup of pumpkin juice, Sirius continued out to the back of the pub. He had to ask the bartender to assist him into Diagon Alley, as he didn't have a wand yet, and one was needed to open the hidden passageway to the street. Sirius had been to Diagon Alley so many times that the sight of the street materializing through an archway that opens up in a brick wall doesn't surprise him at all. He walked to the bookstore and bought his books first. He saw other Hogwarts students buying their books and wondered how many of them, if any at all, would become his friends. After buying all his books, Sirius went to the Apothecary to stock up on potion ingredients. He found a small store that sold cauldrons and bought himself a standard size 2 pewter cauldron, exactly as the supplies list said. Then he went to Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, where he bought his school uniform. After buying his uniform, and checking the list to make sure he had everything, Sirius walked down the road to Ollivander's to buy his wand. Sirius had been waiting to get a wand of his own since he knew what a wand was. Mr. Ollivander showed him several wands before he found the right one, 12 inches beech with the heartstring of a dragon. Sirius held the box which contained his wand very carefully as he walked back toward the Leaky Cauldron. He stopped inside for a late lunch before heading back into muggle London. He decided that his packages were much to heavy to drag across the city, and took the underground to the closest stop to his house.

Sirius was surprised to see that no one was home when he got there. The lights were all down, except for a few that cast an eerie glow down the long dark corridors. Sirius made his way upstairs to his room, where he set down his new purchases, and flopped down on his bed with his new wand. He pulled the thin strip of wood out of the box and examined every inch of it. The wand felt warm in his hand, and shot out a few sparks as he flicked it.

Sirius knew he shouldn't be trying any magic, as he was underage and not in school, but he couldn't help it. He was a natural born troublemaker, and had a slight disregard for the rules. He knew the moment his mother returned he would have to put his wand away and wanted to enjoy what little time he had with it before school started.

After the novelty of the wand wore of, Sirius went to the pile of schoolbooks and picked up the first one, _The DarkForces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble and skimmed through the pages. Sirius wasn't a big reader, and certainly didn't care to be ahead in his studies when school started, but he had nothing else to occupy his time.

Sirius heard his family return sometime after dark. He had no idea where they had been, nor did they make any mention to him about their return. Sirius didn't care, he preferred them when they didn't bother him.

The last two weeks of Sirius's summer flew by faster than he expected. He was glad to finally be getting gout of Number twelve Grimmauld Place, but was apprehensive about starting school with his cousin being there. He was nervous about what house he would get sorted into, and whether or not he would be able to make friends. He was nervous about learning magic, and about doing homework. He was nervous that he would find out it was all a big mistake and that he had to go home again. But mostly, he was excited for the new experience that had arisen.

A/N: I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one!

Replies to my Reviewers:

**cho0dessny**- Yay, my first reviewer! I'm glad you like it so far! I've never seen Amelie, but I heard it was good. I hope you liked this chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. And the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	4. Someday I'll Fly Away

Someday I'll Fly Away

_You may say I'm a dreamer  
But I'm not the only one  
I hope someday you'll join us  
And the world will be as one_

_-"Imagine" John Lennon_

Lily Evans was a small red headed girl, and the youngest of two daughters to Nicholas and Amanda Evans. Her older sister, Petunia, was her best friend. The two girls were just over a year apart in age, and shared many of the same friends. When they went out together, people thought they were twins, even though they look nothing alike. Petunia was tall and bony, with pale skin, grey-blue eyes and perfectly straight blonde hair. Lily was short and freckled with emerald green eyes and auburn red hair that curled wildly and was completely untamable. Appearance wise, the girls couldn't look more different. Actually, personality wise they were also polar opposites. Lily was cheerful and outgoing, but loved school and learning, and could sit outside on a sunny afternoon and read all day. Petunia was quiet, but loved to do things like braid her hair and paint her nails. Somehow, even though they were so different, Lily and Petunia got along very well.

The Evans family lived in a nice, clean, perfect looking house in Little Whinging. Mr. Evans worked for a respectable law firm and Mrs. Evans stayed at home taking care of the house and the girls. Lily and Petunia attended the Grammar school nearby. Every July, the Evans family would take a week long vacation. They traveled all over the country and world.

Lily loved to read. She loved to read magazines and the newspaper, but most of all she loved to read books. She read books of all shapes and sizes. She read kids books, and classic novels, and thick dusty volumes she found in the attic. She read fantasy novels, and horror novels, and once she read one of her mother's romance novels. After finishing that novel, Lily vowed to never again sneak one of her mother's books.

Lily's love for reading has helped her develop an extremely wild imagination. When not reading, Lily is usually daydreaming. She imagined what it would be like to fly to far away lands, and to live in castles with tall towers that seemed to reach the sky. She dreamed about dragons and magic, knights in shining armor and princesses. Lily's vivid imagination was about the only thing Petunia disliked about her sister. Petunia didn't believe in things behaving in ways they were not meant to, and certainly didn't understand why her sister would want to live in a musty, drafty old castle for anyway.

At school, Lily had several friends, but once she got home, it was just her and her books, unless Petunia was around. Petunia was the only person Lily would put her books down for.

"Petunia, do you want to play a game?" Lily asked her sister one sunny afternoon in July.

"What kind of game?" Petunia asked. She was brushing her hair. Petunia always brushed her hair. She brushed her hair more than Lily read books.

"It's really fun. We use big twigs as swords and have a sword fight. And then the winner is claimed knight of the Evans backyard." Lily said, smiling broadly, as only a young girl with a wild imagination could.

Petunia nearly dropped her hair brush. "And why would anyone _want_ to play that?" Petunia asked.

"Because it's fun." Lily answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you want to know what's fun, Lily?" Petunia asked, setting her hairbrush down and looking at her little sister.

"What?" Lily asked, leaning in eagerly.

"Truth or Dare." Petunia said.

"What?" Lily repeated, this time sounding confused.

"Truth or Dare." Petunia repeated, as if this time Lily would understand. The look on Lily's face showed that she was still confused, so Petunia elaborated. "Well, it starts off with someone asking another person 'truth or dare?' and that person answers with one of them. If they say 'truth' then the first person asks them a question and they have to answer it honestly."

"What happens if they don't?" Lily interrupted.

"I don't know, it's never happened. Anyway, if they say 'dare' then the first person has to think of something really embarrassing that the second person has to do."

"What if they don't?"

"They just do, Lily, its how the game works."

"That's no fun! There should be some horrible gruesome alternative to answering the question or doing the dare."

"The horrible thing is the other, if you don't want to do the dare you have to answer the question, and if you don't want the question then you have to do the dare."

"I don't like this game, let's swordfight."

"Sword fighting is for boys."

"Says who?"

"I don't know…everyone."

"Then everyone is wrong. I played swordfight with Alexia at school and no one told us we couldn't play because we were girls."

"You are a strange girl, Lily Evans."

"Thank you Petunia Evans, you are a normal girl." Mrs. Evans walked into her daughter's bedroom at that moment and was surprised to hear their strange compliments to one another. At first she thought they were fighting, but by the smiles on their faces she could see they were quite pleased with the statement made about them by their sister.

"Lunch is ready girls." Mrs. Evans said. Lily and Petunia nodded and followed her downstairs.

Lily was heartbroken when Petunia changed schools. Mrs. Evans tried to calm her youngest daughter by saying that in a year she would too be going to high school. Lily said that it was an entire year when she wouldn't see Petunia at school, and wouldn't walk to school with her, or eat lunch with her. Petunia said she wouldn't miss her too much, and that they rarely saw each other anyway. This upset Lily even more. Of course, Petunia was actually right, and after the first two weeks, Lily got over not seeing her sister at school and was doing just fine. She had more friends that year then she ever had before, probably because she spent more time with the girls in her class rather than with Petunia.

At the end of the year, Lily too left Grammar school, and would be starting high school in the fall. She was excited for this, as Petunia had told her many stories about how great it was. Mrs. Evans took Lily to London to buy her uniform, a navy blue and red plaid pleated skirt, a while long sleeved blouse and a navy blue cardigan. Lily tried her uniform on for her father and sister when they got home, and refused to take it off until she went to bed that night. Petunia said she wouldn't love it so much after she sees everyone wearing it for weeks straight. Lily said she was sure she would love it every day.

As the summer went by, Petunia shared more and more stories about school with her little sister. Lily hung on to every word Petunia said, hoping to gain some advice on how to act, or what to watch out for.

At the end of July, Lily received a strange letter in the mail. There was no stamp or return address. Lily opened it, and her jaw dropped.

_Dear Miss Evans,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

At first, Lily thought it was a practical joke played on her by Petunia or Alexia. But then she remembered that Petunia didn't joke, and Alexia would never have thought of anything like this. None of the rest of her friends knew her address, or which bedroom was hers. How did they know which bedroom was hers then? Lily wondered.

She showed the letter to her mother, hoping that she would be able to explain. Mrs. Evans looked as if she had no idea what to say or do about the letter she just read. So, she passed it over to her husband. Mr. Evans read through the letter at least three times before opening his mouth. He let out a small squeak and then shut his mouth again. Petunia, who was confused by her family's reaction, peered over her father's arm to read the letter. She looked confused and then a little bit scared. Lily snatched her letter back from her father and read it again. Sure enough the words were the same.

"What does this mean mum?" Lily asked, hoping her mother could clear things up for her.

"I don't know, dear. I really don't know." Mrs. Evans replied.

"I'm – I'm a witch?" Lily said in a near whisper.

"Shh! You don't want the neighbors to hear you say that Lily!" Petunia shrieked.

"Petunia!" yelled Mr. and Mrs. Evans in unison.

"Well, imagine what anyone would think if they heard her say that!"

"Petunia Evans, do not speak of you sister like that!" Mrs. Evans said, turning red.

"What do you mean, Petunia?" Lily asked quietly.

"I mean that you, and this letter, are –" Mrs. Evans made a face at her daughter that said clearly said watch what you say. "— _freaks_."

The shouting that came from the Evans house after this remark could be heard three houses down. Lily stared crying, and screaming at her sister. Mrs. Evans was scolding her eldest daughter and trying to calm her youngest. Mr. Evans started yelling at Petunia, and then at Lily. After a good 15 minutes of this, Mrs. Evans sent the girls to bed and told them to think about what they said to each other.

Lily sat on her bed staring out the window. Petunia had called her a freak, all because of some letter that they weren't even sure was real. _It must be true though_, Lily thought. She thought about all the strange things that had happened to or near her, especially when she was extremely scared or nervous. Once, Alexia had been holding a glass in her hand and it shattered in her hand. At the time, the girls thought Alexia had been holding on too tight, but now it seemed that Lily may have been responsible. She had been pretty upset with Alexia for something trivial she didn't even remember anymore. And then there was the time that her mother was trying to force her into a hideous sweater knitted by Lily's grandmother, and it seemed to get smaller with every tug until it would barely fit on a doll. Mrs. Evans had been pretty upset by this, but couldn't explain what happened. They told Grandmother Lucille that the sweater snagged the first time Lily wore it, and got a big rip in it. Grandmother Lucille promised to make another one, which Lily has yet to receive.

Lily fell asleep thinking about all the things that she could now attribute to magic. When she woke up the next morning, she wasn't sure if it had been real or a dream. Upon her arrival in the kitchen for breakfast, Lily realized it had all been real. Petunia cleared her throat and left the room when Lily walked in, but Mr. and Mrs. Evans smiled sweetly. Lily ate her breakfast silently, and then went in search of Petunia. She found her sitting in her bedroom staring at the wall.

"Petunia?" Lily asked quietly.

"Go away, freak!" Petunia shouted.

"No! And stop calling me that!" Lily shouted back.

"But you are a freak, Lily! And now you are going to go to that stupid freak school and make all you freak friends!"

"So you're jealous?"

"Am not!"

"Sure sounds like it!"

"Why would I be jealous of your – your _abnormality_?"

"It's not an abnormality! Why can't you just be happy for me? I'm a witch, and I can do magic! I'm going to Hogwarts, and you are just going to have to accept that!"

"I will never accept a freak like you!"

Lily turned away from her sister and ran out of the room. She had tears running down her cheek as she rand straight into her mother on the stairs. Mrs. Evans wrapped her arms around her crying daughter and led her downstairs. Mr. Evans went upstairs to deal with Petunia.

Lily cried in her mother's arms for nearly 30 minutes before the tears stopped coming. Mrs. Evans wiped the tears from Lily's face, and then spoke to her.

"Lily, no matter what your sister says, you are not a freak, and we are proud of you. Petunia is just upset about all of this happening so suddenly. She'll come around."

"Will she?" Lily asked.

"Of course she will. She is your sister and she loves you."

"I don't think she does anymore, Mum."

"Don't say things like that, Lily."

The next afternoon, Lily and Mrs. Evans went to London to return her uniform and buy her supplies for Hogwarts. Along with the acceptance letter came a letter explaining everything to Mr. and Mrs. Evans, including how to get all of Lily's school books and supplies.

It took Lily and Mrs. Evans quite some time to find The Leaky Cauldron where they had to ask the barkeep to help them into Diagon Alley. The barkeep, a man named Tom, brought them outside and tapped a brick on the wall with what Lily guessed was a wand. He pointed them in the direction of the bank, Gringotts, where they could exchange their pounds for Wizard money.

Lily was in awe of Diagon Alley. She wished she had an extra set of eyes so she could look at both sides of the street. Even the bank was fascinating. The creatures that managed the bank were peculiar looking, and although they gave Mrs. Evans goose bumps, they fascinated Lily.

After exchanging a good deal of pounds for Wizarding money, they set off for the many shops to buy the supplies on the list that was sent with the two letters. The bookstore, Flourish & Blotts, was busy, but Lily managed to find everything she needed and some extras including _Hogwarts, A History_, and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_. Lily's new school uniform consisted of plain black work robes and a black pointed hat. Lily felt like she was dressing up for Halloween as she tried on her uniform at Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions. Mr. Ollivander, of Ollivander's Makers of Fine Wands, helped Lily find her perfect wand, which was willow, 10 1/4", swishy and nice for charm work.

When they returned home, Lily showered her father all of her purchases, much to the dislike of Petunia.

Lily had read all of her school books, as well as the extras she bought by September 1st. She wanted to know as much as she could by the first day of classes. Petunia refused to stay in any room that contained Lily for long periods of time, preferring to close herself in her room, or go to a neighbor's house. Lily was hurt by her sister's actions, and wished for her friend back. She could never tell Alexia about being a witch and wanted very much to talk to a friend about all the interesting things she was learning. Lily hoped she would make friends at school, and that she would fit in. She was terrified of leaving home and her friends to start something completely new to her. But at the same time, it was an amazing adventure, just like the ones she had always dreamed of.

A/N: I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one! Also, please please please review, even if it's to say this sucks! I hate to admit it, but I'm needy, and I need feedback!

respose to reviews:

**jojo**-I'm glad you like it. I hope my once a week updates are soon enough for ya, because I'm really busy with the start of school right now and kind of in a slump so I've only got through Halloween of first year written! Hope you enjoy and feel free to offer any suggestions because I definatly could use the help!

**quizgirl-**don't worry, I just used that for a starting point, and I may stick some canon in but it will be very minimal, I promise. Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like Adrianne. I had origionally started this story as being entirely from her perspective but I didn't really like that because I wasn't sure how well readers would connect with someone intirely (and i spelled that wrong, don't mind my un-spellchecked reviews!)un-canon, so that's why we see Sirius in chapter 3 and Lily in 4, and buy the end of chapter 8 you will have 8 characters, 5 of them you know and 3 of them I made up. Oh and since I've created and planned out all of Adrianne's history, please let me know if I assume you guys know something that I haven't told you yet. Enjoy and thats for the reviews!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	5. Fly Me to the Moon

Fly Me to the Moon

_If ever a boy stood on the moon,  
Carrying all of his treasures from the stars  
To a rainbow which leads to where we are  
Together we'd chase the sun_

_-"Where is the Love" Celine Dion_

James Potter was five years old when his grandfather died. Mr. Potter left his son and daughter-in-law a large fortune as well as ownership of his magazine and the empire it created. James didn't understand what this meant, all he knew was that his parents wanted to move into a different house. James hated packing, and his mother said he had to do it himself, and that meant no magic. Mr. or Mrs. Potter could very easily pack up James's entire room in minutes with a few waves of their wands, but if James were to pack by hand it would take weeks. _Maybe I'll ask Dad later, he'll help me,_ James thought.

Unfortunately James was wrong. After begging his father for a good 2 minutes, James was still packing his many possessions up by hand the next day. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had started taking things over to the new house, which James was told was twice the size of their current house and located near London. It also had a pool and a large open field where James could learn to play Quidditch.

By the fifth day of packing, James was no where near finishing and his mother finally gave in. She told him to go make himself lunch while she finished up his room. With Mrs. Potter packing up her son's room, everything was boxed up within 24 minutes. Her son's bedroom was now completely empty of the dirty socks, toys thrown once thrown everywhere, books laying unopened, and a wide array of dirty laundry strewn across the room.

Within a week, James was fully moved into his new bedroom in his new house. This bedroom was twice the size of his old one and he had his own study (or playroom) and bathroom. It took a grand total of 13 minutes for James to make a mess of his new bedroom, and by the time he went to bed that night, it was just as messy, if not worse, than his previous room had been. Mrs. Potter just shook her head as she walked through the room that night to say goodnight to her son.

As James grew up, he didn't get any cleaner. In fact, he got messier, if that is even possible. Mr. Potter taught his son how to fly, and turned him into a die hard Quidditch fan, Puddlemere United being his favorite team. Mrs. Potter would occasionally go outside and watch the men in her life fly around the yard, passing a red ball back and forth to each other.

James and his father went to several Puddlemere Unites games. Mrs. Potter, who wasn't a big Quidditch fan, never came along. The Potter men grew very close through their love of Quidditch.

It wasn't until James was old enough to care about magazines, and to care enough about Quidditch to read up about it, that he learned that the magazine _Quidditch Weekly_ was owned by the Potter family. It was the magazine that his grandfather started years ago, which grew from a quarterly magazine (_Quidditch Quarterly_) printed by hand into a weekly magazine produced by the finest printing processes and brought in millions of Galleons a year for the Potter family. James like to brag about this to whoever he met, but as he was only eight years old at the time, most of the people he met were family members, or already knew where the family fortune came from.

James was delighted to meet a new person at his eighth birthday party. His name was Frank Longbottom, and their fathers had been mates in school. Frank was eleven and would be starting at Hogwarts in September. James used the moment Frank said this to pull the _Quidditch Weekly _card.

"Do you like Quidditch?" James asked, knowing that any boy in the Wizarding world is bound to be a Quidditch fan.

"Of course I do! My mum thinks its rubbish, be me and my dad both love it. Dad reckons I could even make my house team at Hogwarts in a few years." Frank answered, very enthusiastically.

"Yeah, same here." James said meekly. "Do you know the magazine _Quidditch Weekly_?" Of course he would, everyone knew it, or at least everyone who followed Quidditch knew it.

"Course I do!" Frank answered as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and anyone who didn't know _Quidditch Weekly_ wasn't worth associating with.

"My Grandfather started it and now my dad owns the whole thing! Someday it will be my magazine!" James said, a huge smile spreading across his face as he realized nothing Frank could say would top this proclamation. Frank seemed to realize this and said a small "cool" before abruptly leaving, saying he wanted to find his mother for something.

James walked around the party trying to find someone else who would talk to him. Unfortunately, there weren't many kids his age there, and he had already scared away the one that would actually talk to him. He hated family events because all of his cousins were either adults themselves or much too young to have actual conversations with.

When Mrs. Potter brought out the birthday cake, James let out a groan. She made the cake, which was alright because his mum was an excellent cook and she always made his favorite, chocolate with chocolate frosting, but written on Mrs. Potter's masterpiece in big red letters was "HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY JAMIE" and if he had to pick one thing he hated more than anything it was being called "Jamie," or "Jimbo" but only Uncle Rupert called him that, and Uncle Rupert doesn't come around much.

Mrs. Potter couldn't seem to get it into her head that James hated being called "Jamie." James hated telling his mother off, but as soon as everyone left he would have to have a talk with her about the "Jamie" thing again. He was getting sick of having that talk. His mum would say that she has been calling him Jamie since he was a baby, and James would ask why she didn't just name him Jamie then, and then Mrs. Potter would think he liked it, he just didn't think it was really his name, and James would get upset because she was missing the point completely. James didn't want to have this conversation again, but if it meant that maybe she would finally understand this time he had to do it.

James had the conversation with his mother that night, when most of the family had left. The Longbottoms were still there, but Frank wouldn't talk to James anymore and Mrs. Potter had called him into the kitchen to help clean up. James saw this as the perfect opportunity to talk to her. Mrs. Potter seemed to have memorized her lines of the conversation, because it was exactly how James remembered the last one going. He left the kitchen an hour later feeling defeated.

Mr. Potter got James involved in a youth Quidditch league when he was ten, where James made several friends, most of them a few years older or younger than him. Naturally, this league became the perfect place for James to boast about his family's fortune and the magazine that brought it all. The younger kids in the league all looked up to James like he was a hero, but the older kids just thought he was and arrogant little brat. When September rolled around, most of the older players left for school and James was left with his admirers. Maybe this played a large factor in developing James's superior attitude, or maybe it just helped bring out what was already there.

The summer of 1971 had James checking the skies for post every day. He was anxiously awaiting his Hogwarts acceptance letter. The wait came to an end one cool afternoon in mid July. A large official looking owl delivered an official looking letter to James Potter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

"Mum! Dad! It came, my Hogwarts letter came today!" James shouted, running through the house in search of his parents.

Mrs. Potter stuck her head out of her study to say, "Congratulations dear!" and give her son a big hug. James continued on until he found his father writing out a long letter in his study. James showed the letter to his father, who expressed his congratulations and ruffled his son's hair playfully. James went to his bedroom and read over the supplies list.

Uniform

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Course Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) _by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling

_A Beginner's Guild to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _by Newt Scmander

_The DarkForces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Of all the things on this list, it was the lasts sentence that nearly broke James's heart. He wasn't allowed a broomstick his first year? That was completely horrible! What was James going to do if he couldn't fly for an entire year?

"Dad," James said to his father, interrupting the letter writing once again.

"Yes James?" Mrs. Potter answered, setting down his quill and parchment.

"I was reading the supplies list for Hogwarts and it says at the bottom that I can't bring my broom this year!" James said, sounding like this was the end of the world.

"What would you be needing a broom for your first year anyway? First years never make the house teams, and there really is no other reason to have a broom with you at school."

"But dad—"

"No James, you can't break the rules before you even start school. No broom!"

James recognized defeat and left his father. He went back to his bedroom where his broomstick was laying on a peg his father and put on the wall.

"I guess you'll have to stay here this year." James said to the broom, treating it as if it was a living thing rather than a broomstick.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter took James to Diagon Alley for his school supplies a few days after his letter arrived. They bought him his robes and books, as well as the other required equipment before allowing him to wander around in Quality Quidditch Supplies before meeting back up at Ollivander's for James's wand in 25 minutes. James eyes the latest make of the best racing broom gloomily, knowing it would be useless to beg his parents for it. He didn't even bring up to any of the shoppers that his family owned the magazine displayed proudly at the counters.

James met his mother and father at Ollivander's Makers of Fine Wands, where he was fitted for a wand. After trying out nearly half the store, James found the perfect wand, 11", mahogany, very pliable, excellent for transfiguration.

After paying Mr. Ollivander, the Potters went to Eeylops Owl Emporium where Mr. and Mrs. Potter bought their son his very own owl for communication back home. James picked out a male snowy owl which he named Oscar.

When the Potters left Diagon Alley, James was loaded down with supplies for school. Unfortunately for the anxious little boy, he had an entire month before leaving for school. And that month absolutely dragged on.

After what felt like a millennia, the morning of September 1st arrived, and James was on his way to Hogwarts.

--

A/N: I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one!

response to reviews:

**Jennie-**I'm glad you like it so far! And i felt bad for poor Sirius, but from what he says in OotP that's how it was...poor Sirius. But don't worry things look up for our favorite dog later in the story! Thabks for reviewing!

**quizgirl**-Of course I read your story! And if I have time sometime I might go back and read your longer ones bacause the one I read was really good. I figured as sisters growing up so close in age they would have to be best friends (well not have to but its pretty likely) but as you can tell they are very different. I wasn't really sure how to explain Petunia's reaction, so I guess I just kind of stuck it in.Thanks for reviewing!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	6. A Little Peice of This Dream

A Little Piece of this Dream

_He spent his whole life being to young,  
To live the life that's in his dreams,  
At night he lies awake and he wonders,  
Why can't that be me_

_-"Be Like That" 3 Doors Down_

Remus was 7 when it happened. His father had warned him not to stray to far from the porch. It was the night of the full moon, and for some reason this terrified Mr. and Mrs. Lupin. Remus had heard stories from other kids in the area of weirdoes and werewolves coming out on the full moon, but the Lupin family lived in a quiet suburb far away from weirdoes and werewolves, or so he thought. Surely there was nothing lurking in his own front yard. Remus had played outside in this same yard in broad daylight just hours earlier, what could have changed since the sun went down? It wasn't until Remus heard the deep breathing and the sound of four legs on the pavement. He tried to run for it, but the wolf caught up with him. Remus felt teeth dig into his skin as he hit the hard earth. The last thing he saw before loosing consciousness was a set of very sharp and dangerous looking fangs.

Remus woke up a few days later in a sterile white bed in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He looked around and saw healers in their acid-green robes. Some were administering potions to other patients or changing bandages. One of them saw that Remus was awake and came to his bedside.

"Hello Mr. Lupin I am Healer Smethwyck. You are in the Dai Llewelyn ward at St. Mungo's Hospital. Do you feel any pain?" The healer asked.

Remus nodded slightly. He wanted to know what had happened. He tried to remember what he was doing before he woke up here. He remembered playing outside, and that the moon had been full, but neither of these explained what he was doing in St. Mungo's.

"Good." The healer said, marking something on a chart at the foot of Remus's bed. "I'm going to need you to take this potion for me then." He handed Remus a goblet of a strange thick looking liquid. It tasted horrible, and burned going all the way down. "Now I am sure you are wondering what you are doing here in the Dai Llewelyn ward at St. Mungo's?" Remus nodded. "Do you remember anything from right before you passed out?"

"I, er, I was in my front yard. My dad told me to stay on the porch, but the toy quaffle I was playing with rolled away. I went to get it and–" Remus stopped as he remembered what happened to land him a bed in the dangerous bites ward of St. Mungo's Hospital. The healer looked at Remus with a mix of pity and fear. Remus swelled with anger. He didn't want any pity, and he certainly didn't want to be feared. He knew enough about werewolves to know that they are greatly feared dark creatures, even when the cursed is in their human form. Remus would no longer be able to live a normal life. He would certainly not be allowed into Hogwarts, as parents wouldn't want their kids going to school with a werewolf. Remus was cursed, at the tender age of 7, his life was over. And all because he didn't listen to his dad.

The healer was still watching Remus, interpreting his facial expressions. The wizard opened his mouth several times but couldn't seem to think of anything to say to the young boy in front of him.

"Where –, where are my parents?" Remus squeaked in a small, fearful voice.

"We're right here Remus." came the comforting voice of his mother. Mrs. Lupin grabbed her son's hand and squeezed it to let him know she was there. Mr. Lupin was standing next to his wife, and was looking down at his young son with an encouraging smile.

Just looking at his parents' faces was enough to calm Remus down. They weren't afraid of him, they knew that he wasn't harmful. He was just a little boy whose curiosity got the better of him. Remus vowed to himself, then and there, that he would never again wander away from the safety of his house. He wouldn't let his adventurous side overpower his sensible side ever again. If Remus was given any chance to be normal, he wasn't going to risk losing it all to go exploring. His parents explained to him that he was bit by a werewolf names Fenrir Greyback, who likes to attack children, especially the children of his enemies.

Remus was allowed to leave the hospital later that day. The healers gave Mr. and Mrs. Lupin instructions on how to deal with him during transformations, and afterwards.

Once back at home, Mrs. Lupin pampered her son. She gave him everything he asked for, which wasn't much, and offered to stay by his side until he felt comfortable being alone. Remus wasn't afraid, and he told his mother. The full moon was weeks away, and he wanted to be as normal as he could until then. He went outside and played, although no one would play with him, and tried to be a normal boy. Being normal is hard, especially when everyone is afraid of you. News of his bite had spread around the wizarding neighbors, and many parents wouldn't let their children out if they knew Remus was around.

The first transformation was the worst. As soon as the moon rays hit Remus, a pain shot through his body, starting at the location of his bite and spreading quickly to the tips of his fingers and toes. He felt himself elongate and his spine hunched over to allow for him to walk on all fours.

Remus didn't remember much of his first transformation. His mother told him when he woke up the next morning that he had screamed in pain all night. She said that she nearly blasted open the door to comfort him, but Mr. Lupin held her back.

Remus clawed himself near death that first transformation. He had scratches all over his body and had to take a blood replenishing potion. Remus was bed ridden for three days after the full moon, and it took nearly a week and a half for him to regain color in his cheeks. Each proceeding transformation was less painful, and he caused less pain on himself. Still, every full moon, Mrs. Lupin would sit outside his door and sing lullabies through the crack of the door. Remus knew she was out there, and would try to focus on her voice, hoping it would distract him from the pain. He wouldn't let the wolf take over his mind if he could. As long as Mrs. Lupin kept singing, Remus was almost fully in control.

As the years went on, Remus became more comfortable with his condition. He wasn't afraid of himself anymore. He only felt out of control on the night of the full moon, and even then his mother would comfort him as best as she could. On the 28 days from full moon to full moon, Remus would read. He loved to read, and it helped to ease the adventurous side of himself. He would read muggle books his mother would by from the nearest town, and wizard books bought in Diagon Alley, or ordered by catalog. Remus would read novels, and fantasy, or textbooks, and educational. He didn't care what it was he read, just that he was reading. Soon, Remus's thirst for adventure was overpowered by his desire to learn. Maybe his desire to learn came from his fear of not being allowed at Hogwarts, or maybe it just took his mind off the curse that was waiting for him at the end of the moon cycle.

Remus wasn't the only one in the house reading everything he could get his hands on. Mr. Lupin had bought or borrowed every book about lycanthropy as he could, hoping to find a cure or treatment for his son. Every evening, after work, Mr. Lupin would shut himself in his study and pour through pages and pages of text, hoping for a tiny snippet of anything that might have been used to tame or cure werewolves. By Remus's 11th birthday, Mr. Lupin was yet to have found anything.

Remus had pretty much given up all hope of ever going to school. Albus Dumbledore, famed wizard who defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, as well as several other amazing feats, was named Headmaster of Hogwarts the summer of 1970. Mr. and Mrs. Lupin now had hope that their son might be allowed into Hogwarts. Dumbledore was a very accepting man, and was Remus's only chance at being allowed an education.

Late July 1971, Remus received the letter that would change his life.

_Dear Mr. Lupin,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Remus read through this letter several time to make sure it was true. The he handed it to his mother for further verification. Mrs. Lupin put her hand on her chest and thrusted the letter into her husband's hand. The Lupins had never really believed Dumbledore would let their son in, even if they had hoped he would.

Behind the acceptance letter was another letter, this one addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Lupin.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Lupin,_

_I feel that your son deserves the same chance as every other wizard child to an education. Several security measures have been put into effect for the safety of Remus and his fellow students. A particularly violent tree has been planted on the school grounds, covering the entrance to a secret passageway to a secure house in the nearby village of Hogsmead. On the afternoon of the full moon, the school nurse, Madame Pomfrey, will escort Remus to the entrance at the Womping Willow where he will make his way to the shack and transform safely away from the school and students._

_For now, I would like to keep his lycanthropy a secret from the students and their parents, but the entire staff knows and understands his condition. I hope to create an environment where Remus can receive a full education and feel comfortable in a world that fears those individuals cursed with his condition._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Remus was very excited to have been admitted to Hogwarts. He had been dreaming of Hogwarts since he knew what school was, and it nearly broke his heart when he was told that as a werewolf he probably wouldn't be allowed in. Remus was very thankful to Professor Dumbledore, and made a mental note to thank him at the first possible moment.

The day after Remus received his Hogwarts letter, he begged his mother to take him to Diagon Alley for his school supplies. Not having much money because of Remus's hospital bills, they had to buy much of the supplies at secondhand shops. Remus didn't mind second hand books, he actually preferred them. They had more character. What he hated was the second hand robes. He felt dirty walking around in someone else's robes, even though his mother washed them before allowing him to wear them.

Remus was defiantly a strange boy. He valued cleanliness over nearly everything else, with the main exception being knowledge. Remus's robes were always in the best condition they could possibly be in, the only stains having been there before he bought them. His room was always perfectly clean, with his latest books piled neatly in the corner. He made his bed with such precision every morning, the second he climbed out of it.

Remus and Mrs. Lupin spent most of the day shopping in Diagon Alley. Remus eyed the vast walls filled with books inside Flourish & Blotts like a small child in a candy store. His mother had to pry him away from several texts, explaining that he had a large pile of books at home waiting to be read, as well as his new schoolbooks. Remus reluctantly followed his mother out of the store and down the road to more shops.

As soon as Remus and his mother got home, Remus pulled out one of his textbooks, _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade One_, and started reading. He read until his mother pulled the book out of his hand and sent him to bed. When he woke up the next morning, Remus had opened his book and resumed his place before breakfast was even served.

By the third straight day of this, Mrs. Lupin was getting upset.

"Remus John Lupin! Put down that book and go outside! Get dirty, play with the neighborhood boys, be a kid!" Mrs. Lupin said to her son, not quite yelling but urging him to listen to her.

Remus hated getting dirty, and he knew none of the boys in the neighborhood would even get close to him, let alone play with him. Remus decided it was better to not argue with his mother and dragged his feet all the way outside. He walked over to the park nearby and sat down on one of the swings. Swings were the only bit of playground Remus ever enjoyed, probably because the chances of getting dirty are pretty slim. He also loved the feeling of air rushing past him, his hair blowing in the wind. Perhaps this was a sign he would love to fly, but he had yet to attempt it. No, swings seemed safer. With swings, you are still attached to the ground through a chain and the metal poles supporting the swing.

Across the park was a small sandbox. Remus saw a little boy playing in the sand with his mother. Remus remembered playing in that same sandbox. He remembered making friends, friends he had only ever seen once or twice afterwards. He remembered sand castles, and burying feet, and finding lost treasures that were nothing more than a long forgotten knut.

Remus swung on his swing until near dark. His mother would probably get worried if he didn't return soon. She still babied him, probably a result of his condition. Ever since he was bitten, she was reluctant to let him wander to far on his own. He slowed himself down, and got off the swing. He slowly walked back to his house, looking carefully in every direction before leaving the safe light of the park. The walk from the park to home only takes about 3 minutes, but for a nearly 11 year old at dusk, especially a nearly 11 year old like Remus, it can be very frightening. Every small noise seems much bigger, and much more intimidating.

Remus made it home safely, and was greeted by a big, tight hug from Mrs. Lupin. Remus managed to pull himself from the death grip of his mother. He went to the kitchen to find something to eat. He had stayed out much past dinner, and was staring. Mrs. Lupin made her son a sandwich, and sat with him at the table as he ate. Remus was thankful for the company, especially after being alone all day.

Mrs. Lupin didn't try to get her son to go out and play again. She seemed content with him staying home and reading his schoolbooks. That is, until the morning before his last transformation before starting school. Unfortunatly for Remus, this also happened to fall on the day of his 11th birthday. That particular morning, Mrs. Lupin seemed very keen to get her son out of the house for a bit. She seemed to want him to try to enjoy some of his birthday, before he had to nedure the horros of that night. She took him for a jog around the town, and then they went to get ice cream from a small family owned shop in town. They sat outside in the sunlight, eating their ice cream and talking about ridiculous things like the funny shapes of clouds and the sound of birds. Remus and Mrs. Lupin always talked about strange things. Perhaps it helped them forget about Remus's lycanthropy, or maybe it just helped pass the time.

Remus hated to admit it, but to this point in his life, his mother was his best friend. She would talk to him when there was no one left. She never looked at him with fear or pity in her eyes, only love. She would stay awake all night just to sing to him, even if it meant that she was miserable the next three days from lack of sleep. She would tend to his wounds the morning after the full moon, and pamper him until he said he was okay, which he usually dragged out just for the extra attention from her.

Mr. Lupin was a different story. He showed his love for Remus in a much different way. Mr. Lupin loved his son, but his fear of the beast that lurked inside was too overpowering. Mr. Lupin devoted all of his free time not to his son, but to finding a way to get rid of the monster. Mr. Lupin always had the fear in his eyes when he looked at Remus. The first few years, it really bothered Remus, but he had gotten used to it, and had started avoiding his father's eyes whenever possible. They had reached an understanding that went beyond the relationship of a father and son. They still cared very much for each other, but they were distant. Mr. Lupin only shared a few words a day with his son, and Remus replied with just as few words.

Remus's last transformation before the start of term happened to fall three days before September 1st. While this meant he would have almost an entire month to get comfortable at school before he had to worry about the moon, it made for a crazy last few days. Remus was entirely packed by the evening of his transformation. His mother bought him a new watch in town that day as a going away gift, but put it into his trunk for safekeeping. Remus knew this meant that she didn't want him to destroy it during his transformation as it was a bit more expensive than they could afford.

The last transformation smooth, or as smooth as the transformation from boy to wolf and back in one night could go. Mrs. Lupin sang Remus lullabies, and they seemed to have calmed him much more this particular month. He curled himself into a ball and slept, almost like a pet dog. Unfortunately, without the screams of her son, Mrs. Lupin fell asleep midway through the night. Remus awake a bit later and smelled her beyond the door. The wolf took over Remus's mind and he nearly knocked down the door before she woke up and resumed singing. Remus woke up the next morning with some horrible bruises and a few minor cuts. Mrs. Lupin tended to his injuries while Mr. Lupin stood back and watched from behind his copy of _The Daily Prophet_.

Remus looked off to the sky though the kitchen window. He stared at the clouds, which were forming the shape of a steam engine train, and imagined what Hogwarts would be like. All of his fears seemed to come out for the first time since he got accepted. Would he be accepted? Would everyone find out about his condition? What would they think? Would he make any real friends? Would he do well in classes? How long will he last? All of these questions and more built up in Remus's mind. He felt like a huge weight had just been lifted onto his shoulders. Mrs. Lupin seemed to sense this and brought out a giant hunk of Honeydukes best chocolate and handed it to her son. Remus loved chocolate. With every bite, the fear seemed to slip away and Remus was at peace again. He went to his bedroom to make sure he had everything for school, as tomorrow was the first of September.

A/N: I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one! Please read and review!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. And the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	7. The Sisiter God Forgot to Give Me

The Sister God Forgot to Give Me

_As we go on we remember  
All the times we had together  
And as our lives change come whatever  
We will still be Friends Forever_

_-"Graduation" Vitamin C_

Christabel Valwick had everything a little girl could ever want. Well, almost everything. Her parents had a large bank account, and bought their only daughter all of the nicest and most expensive gifts, but they were never around. Mr. and Mrs. Valwick donated large sums of money to important charities in the Wizarding world, and were almost always gone away at a social gathering or fancy ball. To an outsider Christabel was living the perfect life.

To Christabel, she was living in her own personal hell. Her parents were never around, and if they were they treated Christabel like she was a part of the décor. For the first 7 years of her life, Christabel never had a single friend, unless you counted the house elf, Stubby, and Christabel didn't. Stubby was more of a babysitter anyway.

Christabel had brown curly hair, and took extra care to try and style it like her mother's. She thought that if she tried to be just like Mrs. Valwick, then maybe her parents would notice her. Of course, when this didn't work, Christabel would sit alone in her dark bedroom and stare at her face in the mirror as her chocolaty brown eyes leaked tears.

While most girls were dreaming of castles in the sky, Christabel was dreaming of things a little closer to earth. More than anything, she wanted a friend.

--

Jena Sinclair was the third of 5 children, and the only girl. Her parents weren't as well off as some pure blood families were, but considering they had five children they lived very comfortably. Jena didn't get everything she wanted, but as her mother said, it made her appreciate what she did have.

Growing up with four brothers made Jena into what some call a "tom-boy." She liked to do boy things, and was disgusted by ribbons and bows, and dolls. She preferred getting dirty, playing in the yard with her brothers, and flying. Between the five Sinclair children, they shared three broomsticks that were of decent quality. Adam, Jena's oldest brother, was on his house Quidditch team at Hogwarts staring his third year, and was usually took charge of the Sinclair kids' game.

Jena was always tall for her age, and always wore her long blonde hair in a ponytail. She looked just like her mother, and three of her four brothers, with the same yellow blonde hair and blue-green eyes. Adam, the oldest, took after Mr. Sinclair with his dark brown hair and matching brown eyes.

--

Christabel and Jena met one afternoon late in July when they were both 7. Jena and her brothers had walked to the park at the center of the neighborhood and passed the very posh Valwick Estate. Being naturally curious children, they stopped at the gate and looked toward the sweeping estate, imagining what sort of people lived in there. Jena envisioned fabulous rich and famous people living in the lap of luxury there, and was surprised to see a young girl her age in one of the upstairs windows. The two girls made eye contact, and Jena smiled a friendly smile. The girl in the window look scared and a little confused, but soon left the window and came out to the gate.

"Hi, I'm Jena! Your house is wicked!" Jena said slipping her arm through the fence to shake the girl's hand. Christabel hesitated for a second and then returned the shake.

"I'm Christabel, and it's not really all that great." Christabel said.

"What kind of name is Christabel?" Jena's second youngest brother, Caden, asked.

"Caden!" shouted Jena and Adam.

"It's ok, I hate my name anyway." Christabel said.

"If you hate it then why don't you use a nickname?" asked the second oldest Sinclair boy, Frank. "My name is Francis, but everyone calls me Frank, unless it's mum and she's really angry."

"No one has ever really addressed me as Christabel except my parents on a few very rare occasions, and I can't really tell them I hate the name they gave me."

"Don't you have any friends?" Jena asked.

"No," Christabel said sadly.

"I can be your friend." Jena said. "And we can call you Chrissy. How do you like that?"

"It's better than Christabel." From that moment on Jena and Chrissy were best friends. Chrissy went with the Sinclair kids to the park and played with them all afternoon. When they left that evening, Chrissy went home with Jena and ate dinner with the Sinclair family. None of them had any idea how close they would get in the coming years.

By the age of 9, Jena and Chrissy were inseparable. Mrs. Sinclair joked that she actually had two daughters, Jena and Chrissy. Chrissy spent more nights at the Sinclair house than her own, only going home when she knew her parents would be around.

Jena turned 11 two months before Chrissy. Her parents had a small party, with relatives being most of the guests. Of course, Chrissy was present, although at this point she was pretty much considered family. Jena's Grandmother gave Chrissy a big hug when she arrived, overlooking the fact that Chrissy is not really her granddaughter.

The party lasted well into the night. Jena opened all of her presents, and after they were done, started playing with them along with Chrissy and her brothers. From her aunt and uncle, Jena got her own broomstick, and she took it outside out fly around the yard on it. Chrissy watched from the ground, being afraid of heights and not liking flying anyway. Jena and her brothers started playing a two-on-two game of Quidditch, and soon many of the guests were watching.

For Chrissy's 11th birthday, Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair threw her a small party. While this one wasn't as big as Jena's, Chrissy was still very thankful for it. Her parents never really acknowledged her birthday. She got gifts on random days, although they were left where she would find them rather than presented to her in person. Chrissy suspected her parents had forgotten her birthday and instead showered her with gifts all year to make up for it. Honestly though, Chrissy would rather they gave her a hug and a kiss and wisher her happy birthday then get her expensive gifts.

Chrissy's party consisted of the entire Sinclair clan, as well as a few neighbors. They had cake and presents and party games. It was by far the best birthday Chrissy had ever had.

Spring turned to summer and by late July Jena and Chrissy were anxiously awaiting their Hogwarts letters. Chrissy went home every day in July just to check for any post.

One sunny afternoon in July, those letters finally arrived. Surprisingly, Chrissy's letter arrived along with Jena, Frank and Adam's letters at the Sinclair house. The letters were identical, save for the names they were addressed to.

_Dear Miss Valwick,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

_--_

_Dear Miss Sinclair,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

Jena and Chrissy were so excited to get their letters that they begged Mrs. Sinclair to take them to Diagon Alley that day to buy their school supplies. Chrissy ran home to get the key to her Gringotts vault, and then they were on their way.

Mrs. Sinclair, her five children, and Chrissy traveled to The Leaky Cauldron via floo powder. Chrissy had only traveled this way once before and absolutely hated it. She always came out of the fireplace full of soot. Jena on the other hand loved traveling by floo powder, although she had done it many more times than Chrissy. Sure, it made you dizzy and you get soot in you hair and on your clothes, but it was pretty wicked in Jena's opinion.

After arriving in the Leaky Cauldron, the Sinclairs and Chrissy went out back to where the entrance to Diagon Alley is. Mrs. Sinclair took out her wand and tapped a brick which opened a large archway in the formerly solid wall. Their first stop was Gringotts, where they stopped at Chrissy's vault and the Sinclair's vault. After their moneybags were filled up, they walked through the street, stopping in stores for books, potions ingredients, robes, quills, parchment, and lastly, wands. Once Jena and Chrissy had purchased their wands from Ollivander's, the family met up again to head back to the Sinclair's house. Again, they traveled by floo powder, bringing mounds of soot into Mrs. Sinclair's spotlessly clean drawing room. With a wave of her wand, Mrs. Sinclair returned the room to its usually clean state.

Chrissy went home that night and slept in her own bed for the first time in nearly three months. She listened carefully for any sign that her parents might come home, hoping to share with them the news of the letter she got that day. When morning came, and Chrissy was still alone in the large house, she gave up hope that her parents ever really cared for her at all. She didn't even bother leaving any kind of note, and just left for the Sinclair's house for the rest of summer.

On the eve of September 1st, Mrs. Sinclair told Chrissy she should try going home again and letting her parents know she would be leaving for school the next day. Chrissy reluctantly agreed, only going if Jena would come along. The two girls sat in the large drawing room until 11:30 when Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair came and brought them home for the night. Chrissy's parents never came home.

As Chrissy walked away from her house and back to Jena's house, she felt a tear roll down her cheek at the thought of her parents not even wanting to say goodbye.

Jena noticed this and put her arm around the girl she had come to call her sister. The girls sat up all night quietly talking about what was to come, ignoring what had happened that evening. They fell asleep at 4:30 in the morning, only to be awoken 4 hours later.

A/N: I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one!

response to my reviewers:

Again, no reviews. This makes me tres sad. But I will get over it. I am figuring that people are losing interest in these begining chapters, so I shall speed up the process. Unfortunatly, after they reach Hogwarts, I only have three or four chapters completed. So Since I am speeding up the uipdate process now, its going to mean slower updates later on (that is until the end which i have pretty much already finshed). So I ask for some feedback here. Any feedback. Thoughts on my story, thoughts about life,ideas about how 11 year old British wizards talk and act, anything. I hate to beg, so please don't make me! Just read and review!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	8. Just the Two of Us

**A/N: Ok, this is really important, so I hope you all read this. My computer got a virius, which corrupted the windows file. I can't seem to fix it, and that is why I haven't uploaded in a while. My apolagies. Unfortunatly I only have this chapter saved online, the rest are just on my hard drive. I honestly have no idea if my files will still be there when I get my computer fixed, and well, if they are gone, I will be very very sad. Not only has this story reached 200 pages on Microsoft Word, but I had several other things saved to my computer. So lets all cross our fingers and hope the files are still there...thanks! Anyway, here's the bad news. If I did indeed lose everythigng, I don't know if I will be continuing on with this. I don't care too much that no one commented on the last few chapters, because I was writting this for me, I needed a creative outlet. Unfortunatly, if the story is lost, that is an awful lot to replicate. Even though the first 8 chapters was a good chucnk of the story, I had so much written already, including the last few chapters, and some really important and hard to write stuff that comes later in the story. This is where this author's note becomes very important. IF I lose my files, and that's a big if, it will be up tro my readers if I try to redo this story. If only one person (and I am serious, so speak up) wants me to continue on, I will, as soon as i get a working computer back, and I promise to upload chapters here so at least they are saved online as soon as they are done. It will take longer for updates, becasue frankly, I have other things to do and the early Hogwarts years were really hard for me, but I will do it and if you bear with me, I will try to make it as fabulous (in my opinion) as the version I lost. So, please, if you want me to continue on, let me know. If I get my computer back with the files intact, I will update regardless of what you say, but I really can't tell for sure until my computer is running again. So please, let me know if i should start thinking about trashing this story, or if i should be prepared o rewrite all that I may have lost. Its all up to you!**

Just the Two of Us

_A lonely mother gazing out of her window  
Staring at a son that she just can't touch  
If at any time he's in a jam  
She'll be by his side  
But he doesn't realize he hurts her so much  
-"Waterfalls" TLC_

Peter Pettigrew loved his life. His mother lived to make him happy. She would spend hours a day baking pies, cookie and cakes for her son to scarf down.

The Pettigrew family lived a comfortable life in a comfortable home in a comfortable town a comfortable distance between city and rural life. Mr. Pettigrew had a decent job working for the Ministry of Magic, where he earned a decent paycheck that supported the Pettigrew family's comfortable lifestyle. Mrs. Pettigrew didn't have a job, but rather made a full time job out of pampering the couple's only son.

Peter grew up sheltered from kids his age. His mother never let him stray to far away from the house, or stay out too late. Peter didn't mind. Up until the age of eleven, Mrs. Pettigrew was her son's best friend. They would play wizards chess (which Mrs. Pettigrew would let her son win), and read together. As Peter began reading on his own, they would sit together on the front porch, Peter reading a book or magazine, and Mrs. Pettigrew knitting.

One sunny afternoon in late April 1969, the news came. Mrs. Pettigrew was knitting a blanket for Peter's bed, and Peter was reading a comic about Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. A messenger from the ministry came up to the porch. Nervously he said, "Mrs. Pettigrew, your husband has been taken to St. Mungo's hospital with chest pains. I am here to escort you and your son to the hospital to see him."

Mrs. Pettigrew gasped and dropped her knitting. Peter never took his eyes off the comic in front of him. Mrs. Pettigrew grabbed him by the arm and led him to the ministry car waiting at the end of the driveway. She sat in the back seat with Peter while the ministry messenger sat in the front passenger seat.

The drive to St. Mungo's wasn't very long. Before Peter even had the chance to finish his comic book, they were at the hospital. The entrance was concealed behind the window display of an abandoned department store, Purge and Dowse Ltd. They walked through the glass into the hospital lobby. Peter had never been to St. Mungo's before, and was in awe of what he saw. There were witches and wizards everywhere, some looking very healthy, others sporting strange ailments.

The ministry wizard led the Pettigrew to the second floor, and into a small ward. Mr. Pettigrew was laying, asleep in a bed at the end of the hall. Mrs. Pettigrew tried to run over to him, but the healer stopped her.

"Mrs. Pettigrew, your husband suffered from a heart attack. This is not a common ailment for wizards, as we have the finest potions for controlling the heart and bloodstream, but for whatever reason it happened. We have given your husband several potions to steady his heart, but there is only so much we can do."

Peter watched his mother's stature slump significantly. It was obvious even to the nine year old boy that something was very wrong with his father.

"Is he…" Mrs. Pettigrew started to ask.

"We can't say for sure right now, but it isn't looking good. The main artery into his heart has been blocked by high levels of cholesterol, and even if he survives this heart attack, it is likely he will suffer another one in the near future."

"What –why –" Mrs. Pettigrew stumbled through her words.

"High fat foods, not getting regular checkups and physicals, high levels of stress, any number of things. Your husband is slightly on the obese side, and that makes it harder for his heart to work."

"So it's my fault! All I ever wanted to do was be a good wife, and I killed him!" Mrs. Pettigrew was in tears. Peter walked away from his mother and over to a witch who was snoring loudly on the other end of the hall. She woke up when she heard him walk up to her.

"'Oo are you?" She asked in a deep, sleepy voice.

"P-Peter." He answered.

"'Ello Peter. Are you 'is boy?" She asked, pointing to Mr. Pettigrew's bed."

Peter nodded his head.

The witch didn't say anything else. Peter lost interest in her after a few minutes of silence and wandered back to his mother. She was now sitting in a chair next to his father. She was mumbling incoherently through heavy sobs.

The funeral came a week later. Peter was dressed in black dress robes. He said goodbye to his dad's lifeless body at the cemetery moments before his casket was lowered into his grave. Mrs. Pettigrew was a mess of tears the entire day. Peter escaped to his bedroom, and read the latest Martin Miggs comic. Friends and relatives thought he was grieving the only way he could, but Peter really just wanted to read Martin Miggs's latest adventure.

The weeks after the funeral were weird. People kept stopping by, making dinner and staying late into the night. Peter didn't understand what was wrong with his mother. She always cooked him dinner, even if she was so sick she could barely stand. Now she was refusing to enter the kitchen at all.

A year after his father's death, Peter was stuck eating salads and skimpy meals. His mother seemed to have blamed herself for her husband's early demise, and did everything in her power to prevent the same fate from happening to her son.

This infuriated Peter to no end. He loved his mother's cooking, and all of a sudden it had turned dry. What would it take to bring back the pies?

Two years after Mr. Pettigrew's death, and the food situation had actually taken a turn for the worst. With no source of income, the Pettigrew's money supply was dwindling. Some nights, Peter would go to bed with his stomach not entirely filled. Mrs. Pettigrew did the only thing she could do to save herself and her son, get a job. She found work as the hired help for some wealthy old witch, Eleanor Hagsby. Mrs. Hagsby requested that Mrs. Pettigrew and Peter move into her home, which was more that large enough for three people, let alone just one. She said she missed having children in the house, and instantly began to spoil Peter.

It seemed that in light of the recent financial problems Mrs. Pettigrew had faced, she had forgotten all about her grief, and her vow to save her son from his father's terrible fate. Mrs. Pettigrew would pamper Mrs. Hagsby and Peter with sweets and cakes, and lavish meals.

Three months into Mrs. Pettigrew's new job, Peter received his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

_Dear Mr. Pettigrew,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Deputy Headmistress_

Peter went to show his mother, who was serving tea to Mrs. Hagsby. Both women were excited to hear Peter's news.

"Excellent Peter! I suppose a trip to Diagon Alley is in order." Mrs. Hagsby said excitedly. "Oh how I have missed this, children starting school."

"When can we go Mum?" Peter asked anxiously.

"Not today Peter, darling, I have work to do."

"Nonsense Delilah, your work can wait. We will take Peter to Diagon Alley toady. Go and get you shoes Peter."

Mrs. Hagsby surprised the Pettigrews by purchasing all of Peter's school supplies, telling Mrs. Pettigrew that if she wanted to but her son something it should be a pet.

Peter walked around the Magical Menagerie for a while before settling on a big white rat. Mrs. Pettigrew told him to pick out something practical, but Peter wouldn't hear any of it. They left the Magical Menagerie with the rat Peter had picked out and named Scabbers.

The last month of the summer flew by. Mrs. Pettigrew and Mrs. Hagsby shared stories and memories of their own school days, making Peter even more anxious for school. Of course he didn't want to leave his mother, but this was Hogwarts!

A/N: Ok, I'm sorry, but I was having so much trouble with Peter's chapter. I just can't imagine what his childhood was like as well as I can with everyone else! Maybe it's because I don't like him so much, but I am really trying to remember that at one point he was good, or at least not evil! Also, I think it has something to do with me being burnt out from the previous six chapters. 11 years is a lot to cover in one chapter, and to do it seven times! Whoa! Luckily, this is the last single character/background chapter I have to write. They were so hard to write because they focused on stuff before school, and for the characters I am just butchering, it was very difficult. My own three characters was easy, but that was only two out of seven chapters. I hope that these first seven chapters have set the stage for my characters in this story, and that you all enjoyed them. Now you get to watch eight 11 year olds grow up before your very own eyes! I'm sure you just can't contain the excitement, so I will leave you to speculate what's coming up next (ok, that was a joke…I haven't started anything yet!) And again I'd just like to remind you all of my request from the first chapter for a sorting hat song. I will seriously love you forever if you write me one!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners.


	9. Through the Barrier

A/N: Good news and bad news. Good news first. My computer died, the motherboard fried and so I had to get a new one. Now this sounds bad (and it was) but there is some good to it, my files were all saved! Yay! So I didn't lose and of this story, or my other files. Very good news. Now the bad news, not a single person responded to my last author's note. So I really don't know if anyone reads this or not. I don't want to sound needy or beggy, but it would be really nice if I knew whether the 9 hits on ch. 8 were actually 9 people reading or not. And Writers love feedback, positive and constructive. And I need help, this is a massive project, and you guys are the ones reading (I think!). So please respond for me, let me know how I'm doing, or I just might stop posting! Haha! Just kidding of course, but let that thought resonate in your minds. More good news, the characters get to meet each other today! Yay! Stuff is starting to get good, so please read! Thanks!

Through the Barrier

Any moment, everything can change,  
Feel the wind on your shoulder,  
For a minute, all the world can wait,  
Let go of your yesterday

-"Fly" Hillary Duff

Miss Burr kept to her promise to escort Princesse Adrianne to Kings Cross on the morning of September 1st. The drive to the station was short, and the trio remained silent all the way to King's Cross. When the arrived at the station, Miss Burr unloaded princesse Adrianne's trunk and placed it on a trolley for easier mobility. They walked into the station and Miss Burr led them to the area between Platforms 9 and 10. Mr. Laverte watched her apprehensively, waiting for any sigh on Platform 9 am ¾ to materialize. Princesse Adrianne was looking around anxiously, she had flown almost as much as she had driven places but she had never been in the presence of a real train. She didn't notice that the platform she was searching for appeared to have not been built yet.

--

The Black family traveled the short distance across London to Kings Cross station together. Narcissa and her parents came along with Sirius and his family. Thankfully, Bellatrix did not want to come to the train station, and Sirius had to deal with only six unbearable Blacks. They made it to the train station and headed to the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Narcissa went through first, then Aunt Elladora and Uncle Aidan, then Regulus and Mrs. Black. Finally Mr. Black went through expecting his son to join him. Sirius hesitated long enough to be left alone on the muggle side of the barrier, contemplating whether or not he really wanted to go through with this.

--

The Evanses left their house in Surrey early in the day, in order to make it to Kings Cross station. Petunia was dragged along, even though she had refused to this point in the summer to be in the same room as her younger sister. Mr. Evans parked his car in the parking lot at King's Cross station and led his family into the train station. He found a trolley for Lily's school trunk and wheeled it to the area between Platforms 9 and 10, not really sure what came next.

--

James nearly dragged his parents out of the house on the morning of September 1st. He was so anxious to get to Hogwarts that he nearly walked out of the house without his left shoe. Once James was fully dressed, and the car Mr. Potter had procured had been loaded, they made their way to Kings Cross. James dragged his parents through the station and to the Platform between 9 and 10. He didn't even notice the little girl, old man, and middle aged woman standing in front of the barrier, each with different looks on their faces.

--

Remus's mother fussed over him for a full half hour before they were able to leave for the train station. Remus was worried this would make them late, but they still managed to arrive in London with plenty of time. The taxi they had called for dropped them off at the front entrance and found a trolley for Remus's trunk. The Lupin family arrived at the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 and prepared to cross through to Platform 9 and ¾.

--

Mrs. Sinclair woke Jena and Chrissy up early, wanting to make sure they had everything they needed for school. She figured it was inevitable that she would have to send the girls something once they left, but wanted to minimize the load on the family's old owl. The entire Sinclair clan, plus Chrissy, crammed into Mr. Sinclair's car, which had been magically expanded for comfortable seating inside. Adam, Frank, Jena, and Chrissy all had their school trunks in the back of the car, which, even with the magical expansion, was still a tight fit. When they arrived at the train station, Mr. Sinclair found a few trolleys and loaded them with the children's trunks. They made it to the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 with more that a half hour to go.

--

Mrs. Hagsby lent Mrs. Pettigrew her car for bringing Peter to Kings Cross station. They were running behind, so they barely made it to the station in time, let alone through the barrier. The reached the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 at 10:55, just five minutes before the Hogwarts Express was set to leave.

-o-

Miss Burr walked them over to the large barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 and explained in a quiet voice, "All you have to do is walk straight through this barrier and you will come out on Platform 9 and ¾." Mr. Laverte stared at her like she was mad, and Princesse Adrianne stared into the thick wall wondering how she was supposed to walk right through it.

Suddenly a family of three, a mother, father and young son, all with jet black hair and glasses walked past, through the barrier and disappeared from sight.

"Now do you see how simple it is? We can take it at a run if you'd like, Adrianne?" Unable to find the words Princesse Adrianne simply nodded. Miss Burr put and arm on the trolley and led Princesse Adrianne at a run through the barrier. Mr. Laverte watched in shock as his granddaughter disappeared when everything he even knew was telling him she should have gone "Splat."

--

Sirius figured it was now or never. A large family was approaching and if he didn't hurry up he would get stuck behind them. He wheeled his cart right up to the barrier and through it.

--

"How—how do we get through it again, Mum?" Lily asked her mother.

"I think, I think we just walk straight through to the other side, or at least that's what the letter said." Mrs. Evans answered. Petunia let out a noise of disgust, as if something like walking though barriers was the most ridiculous idea in the world.

An old man who had been staring in shock at the barrier turned to them and said, "My granddaughter just disappeared through this barrier with her mother's old friend. It looks simple enough." The man had a very think French accent.

"Thank you very much sir. You said your granddaughter went through?" Mr. Evans said to the kind old French man. "Don't you want to go and see her off?"

"Yes, I was about to when I heard you and your daughter discussing how to get through."

"Well thank you very much, please, go through first then." Mrs. Evans said. The man gave a slight bow and then walked through the barrier, feeling incredibly stupid as he ran straight through a wall.

"Well I guess that's all there is to it then. Come on Lily, we can go though first. Mark, bring Petunia along next, will you?" Mr. Evans nodded. Mrs. Evans took Lily's hand and they both held on to the trolley. As they ran, they picked up speed, and went straight through the barrier to the other side.

--

James was so anxious to get going that he brushed past all the people on the platform. "Come on mum and dad!" he whined. When his parents caught up with him, the three Potters crossed through the barrier onto Platform 9 and ¾ together.

--

Mrs. Lupin told Remus to take the barrier at a run, it would give him less time to second guess doing it. She took his hand and ran with him through the barrier, instructing her husband to follow with the trolley.

--

Mrs. Sinclair sent Adam and Frank through the barrier first, following a boy with dark hair and a pale face who was apparently alone. After Adam and Frank went through, she went though herself with Caden and Joey. Then it was Jena and Chrissy's turn to run though the barrier. They each had their own trolleys in hand as they flew past muggle travelers and straight through the barrier.

--

Mrs. Pettigrew grabbed her son's hand and told him to run. Peter had a tendency to dawdle, and needed the extra tug to understand the time constraint. They ran though the barrier onto Platform 9 and ¾.

-o-

The Hogwarts Express was a large red steam engine train. Mr. Laverte soon found Princesse Adrianne and Miss Burr waiting for him. "Sorry about the delay, I helped another family through." He explained after hugging his granddaughter. Miss Burr didn't say anything, she just smiled at the old man.

Miss Burr led Princesse Adrianne into the train and helped her with her trunk. They found an empty compartment and Princesse Adrianne set her things down before going back outside to say her goodbyes.

"Have a good term Adrianne." Miss Burr said, giving her a hug.

"I shall miss you Princesse Adrianne." Mr. Laverte said hugging the small girl. "Have a good term and I shall see you at Christmas."

"Au revoir Grand-père!" Princesse Adrianne said to him before leaving to reboard the train.

"Au revoir princesse." Mr. Laverte said almost in a whisper to his granddaughter's retreating back.

Princesse Adrianne made herself comfortable in her compartment. She watched her grandfather and Miss Burr through the window of the train, waving and smiling at them. On the platform, children of all ages were saying goodbye to their parents and finding their friends. She saw the boy with messy black hair and glasses whom she had followed onto the platform say goodbye to his parents. His mother seemed to be trying, unsuccessfully to flatten his hair. She gave him a big kiss and a hug, both of which he tried to pull himself away from. His father said something and ruffled the boy's hair, which earned him an angered look from his wife.

Farther along the platform, Princesse Adrianne spotted a short girl with wild red hair saying her goodbyes to her parents and sister. The sister, who was tall, skinny and blonde, looked as if she would rather be anywhere but here, and wouldn't speak to or even look at her sister.

--

Sirius couldn't find his family anywhere. He shrugged them off and climbed onto the silver steam engine train, lifting his trunk into the luggage rack and finding himself a compartment to sit in. He was early enough that most of the compartments were empty and he was able to choose from many. Glancing out the window, he spotted his father, and sunk lower in his seat to avoid being noticed. Luckily, Mr. Black walked straight past Sirius to where the rest of the Blacks were gathered nearby.

--

Lily was in awe of the sight she saw on the other side of the barrier. A scarlet steam engine train was pulled up to the platform, with the name Hogwarts Express painted on the front and sides. Lily turned to see her father and Petunia coming though the platform. Nearby was the French mane that had helped them with his granddaughter and another woman. They were saying their goodbyes. Lily thought she must have heard wrong, but she thought he had called the young girl Princess.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye." Mrs. Evans said to her youngest daughter.

"Goodbye Mum." Lily said, wrapping her arms around her mother. "I'll write often, and let you know everything I learn!"

"Goodbye Lily dear and I can't wait for those letters. Have fun, and we will see you at Christmas." Mrs. Evans said.

"Goodbye spunky." Mr. Evans said, giving his youngest daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"Bye daddy." She said, smiling at him. "Bye Tunia."

Petunia didn't return the goodbye, and Mrs. Evans let out a "Petunia!" which made everyone jump.

Reluctantly, Petunia mumbled out a "Bye" to her little sister. Her parents seemed to be satisfied with this and let Lily board the train.

--

Mrs. Potter was in tears as she was saying goodbye to her son.

"Mum, I have to get on the train!" James said, trying to break free from his mother's grasp.

"Write often, and don't forget to wash your hands before all meals, and to clean behind your ears, and…" Mrs. potter was struggling to flatten James's hair as she spoke.

"Mum!"

"Ok," She said, kissing James's cheek. "Have a good term sweetie."

"Bye Mum, bye Dad."

"Bye son, have fun!" Mr. Potter undid all of his wife's hard work by ruffling James's hair as he said goodbye.

James left his parents to board the train. He walked though the train trying to find a compartment, and stopped at one near the middle that was occupied by only a small boy with dark hair who was staring blankly out the window.

--

Remus let his mother smother him with hugs and kisses until the train whistle blew and his father saved him.

"Have a good term Remus." Mr. Lupin said to his son.

"Oh Remus, be good, and have fun, and be careful." Mrs. Lupin said, fussing over her son in the way she always had.

Remus waved to his parents as he boarded the train. He walked down the length of the train to find somewhere to sit, stopping at a compartment that was only filled by a small girl with long brown hair that curled at the ends, whose face was pressed up against the glass as if she was watching someone.

--

Jena and Chrissy followed Adam and Frank onto the train. The four kids found a compartment together, and were soon joined by a few of Adam and Frank's friends.

--

Peter searched the train for a place to sit. The last compartment at the end of the train was empty so he sat down and made himself comfortable. Within minutes he was joined by older kids who explained that everywhere else was full, and sat down with him.

-o-

Soon all the students had boarded the train and only the parents and younger siblings were left. Princesse Adrianne waved goodbye to her grandfather one last time as he disappeared from view. She turned so that she was facing the door to the compartment. She watched the students walk past her door, some of them looking as young and frightened as she felt, others looking as if they were nearly done with their schooling. Several people poked their heads in, as if they were looking for someone but nobody stayed long.

A small boy with sandy brown hair knocked politely before entering. He asked her if she would mind if he sat with her as everything else was full.

"Sure. What's your name? I'm Adrianne Laverte." She said holding out her hand to the boy.

"I'm Remus Lupin." The two sat in silence together for a few minutes before another knock came at the door. This time the small red head from the platform walked in, also asking if they would mind if she joined them.

"Everything else is full. I'm Lily Evans."

"Adrianne Laverte."

"Remus Lupin."

"Are you all first years too?" Lily asked.

"Yes." Adrianne and Remus answered at once.

"I'm so nervous about coming here. My mother said I should try it out, and if I don't like it I can leave. I'm the first witch in my family." Lily explained.

Remus looked too scared to speak so Adrianne did. "My mother was a witch, but she died when I was a baby. My Grand-père raised me."

"Was he a wizard then?" Lily asked.

"No, he's my paternal grandfather. My dad wasn't magic, just my mum."

"What about you Remus?"

"Both of my parents are wizards." He said quietly. Remus looked as if he hadn't slept in days, and was deeply in need of a square meal.

The three young students sat in silence for a while until the Witch with the food cart stopped in. Remus was the only one of the three who knew what she was serving and gave them suggestions on what was good.

After eating, Remus seemed to perk up a bit. He explained some things about the Wizarding world to Lily and Adrianne. Lily seemed very nervous about being far behind the other students, but Remus assured her that he didn't know much magic either and Adrianne pointed out she was in the same position.

--

Sirius heard his compartment door open. Dreading that it would be Narcissa and her friends coming to bother him, he hesitated to look towards the new arrival.

"Can I sit here?" came the voice of not Narcissa but a young boy. Sirius looked over to see a tall, skinny boy with jet black hair and glasses, wearing a goofy smile.

"Suppose." Sirius answered.

The two boys sat in silence for a while. Sirius was looking anywhere but at the boy sitting across from him, but he could feel the boy's eyes on him.

"My name is James Potter, what's yours?" The boy asked. Sirius's immediate thought was that this boy was annoying.

"Sirius Black." He mumbled.

"Black, I don't know that name, are you muggle born?" James asked, sounding entirely too cocky for Sirius's liking.

"No!" Sirius said, a little more forcefully then he intended. "I'm a pureblood, the purest of purebloods. I can trace my family back to the middle ages, all pureblood witches and wizards."

"Oh so your one of them." James said. Sirius was starting to get annoyed. Why was he defending his family's honor to this kid? He didn't even care about being a pureblood. Actually, he wished he was a mud—what was it he called them, muggle borns?

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius asked, getting angrier by the minute.

Before James could respond, the compartment door opened again. Sirius groaned when he saw Narcissa standing there, with that smug look of her face, and her shiny prefects badge pinned to her robes, two dark haired girls standing on either side of her.

"Oh there you are, Sirius. I promised my mother I would look out for you." Narcissa said, sounding both bored and obligated.

"Well then, there, you looked out for me. Now you can go run to your Mummy and tell her that Sirius is being a good boy playing nice with the other kids." Sirius responded, sarcastically.

"I'm warning you Sirius, one toe out of line and your mother will hear about it so fast—"

"So go tell her I talked back to you. What is she going to do? Come up to Hogwarts and send me to my room?"

"I'll – I'll put you in detention you little brat!" Narcissa screamed before storming out of the compartment.

"Older sister?" James asked after Narcissa and her friends were out of sight.

"Cousin, but close enough."

After the encounter with Narcissa, James was a lot more bearable. Except when they talked about Quidditch.

"My dad took me to loads of games, and I was in this league last year, and the captain said I was the best player my age he had seen. He reckons I could make my house team at Hogwarts by second year, which is supposed to be really hard to do."

"I'm not really a Quidditch fan myself." Sirius lied. It wasn't so much that he wasn't a Quidditch fan, more that he had never really been exposed to it. It wasn't really high on his father's list of thing to do to take his rebellious son t sporting events.

"Oh, well you're really missing out. My dad, he owns _Quidditch Weekly_, so he gets wicked tickets to matches all over the country, and to the World Cup…" Sirius stopped listening after James starting to ramble about his dad. Sirius hated when people brag about how much better their lives are, even if they don't realize they are doing it.

--

Jena and Chrissy were playing a game of wizard's chess when the food trolley came though. The girls bought a few Chocolate Frogs, and pulled out the sandwiches Mrs. Sinclair had made. They traded their Chocolate Frog cards, although they both had several of the ones they got already.

Adam and his girlfriend Reagan, both sixth years and Gryffindor prefects, were talking animatedly next to the girls about N.E.W.T classes, which they both would be starting that year.

Frank and his two friends, all fourth year Gryffindors, were telling jokes and stories of their summer holidays.

--

Peter listened to the conversations around him, but pretended to be too caught up in the view out his window to care about what was going on around him. He could tell these students were probably sixth or seventh years, and knew a lot about the Dark Arts.

After a while, a pale blond girl came storming in, followed by two girls with dark hair. The blonde sat down besides a boy with white-blonde hair that reached to his shoulders.

"What's wrong Cissy?" The boy asked the girl.

"I just went to see my cousin, that little brat!" said the girl, Cissy-was that what he had called her?

"Don't let that little brat upset you Cissy. Your mother will understand that you can only have so much control over him here. You have your own studies, and your own friends to be worrying about without babysitting your brat of a cousin."

The witch wheeling the food trolley stopped in, and Peter helped himself to a heaping pile of sweets, using the money Mrs. Hagsby had secretly given him. The older students in the compartment laughed at his pigginess, seeming to find it cute rather than disgusting.

-o-

Just before the train arrived in the Hogsmead station, a voice echoed through the train "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave you luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

--

When the train stopped, Adrianne followed Lily and Remus out of the compartment and off the train. Once they got out onto the platform, Adrianne realized just how many students there were. She felt so small in the center of the crowds of happy students getting ready for the new term. She tried to keep an eye on Remus and Lily as they were the only people she knew at all.

--

James and Sirius walked off the train together. James had shut up for the moment, and Sirius was thankful for the sudden silence. They walked together through the crowds, and even though to this point James had been nothing but annoying to Sirius, his presence made the crowds seem a little less intimidating. James was also thankful for the company, as he didn't know anyone either, and to be honest he was terrified.

--

Jena and Chrissy followed Adam, Reagan, Frank, and his two friends off the train and onto the platform. There were so many people bustling on the platform. It seemed ten times busier then Platform 9 and ¾ had been.

--

Peter waited until the compartment was cleared before leaving it. To be honest, he was terrified of the older students who had sat with him, even though they had been pleasant with him. He walked by himself through the groups of friends talking and laughing, and heading towards their destination. Peter felt lost, in the middle of a crowd, unnoticed by all.

-o-

Suddenly over the bustle of students came a large friendly voice shouting "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" The speaker was a giant man with a long shaggy mane of hair and a wild tangled beard, and beady little black eyes. He was more than twice the height of the first years he was directing, but they followed him anyway. The giant man led the first years to a small fleet of row boats on the edge of the lake. Beyond the lake, was a castle sitting atop a high mountain.

"No more'n four to a boat." The giant man said climbing into the lead boat himself.

--

Adrianne climbed into the same boat as Lily, Remus and a small mousey looking boy. The mousey boy introduced himself as Peter Pettigrew.

--

James and Sirius climbed into a boat together. They were joined by two girls, who seemed to be very good friends, and were chattering away barely noticing that anyone else was there.

--

Jena and Chrissy followed two boys into a boat. They were deep in conversation about the stories that Frank and his friends had shared with them on the train about Hogwarts, speculating on how many of them were actually true. The other two boys just stared ahead, not speaking to each other.

--

Peter found a group of three people climbing into a boat, and joined them. He didn't want to get left behind. There were two girls and a boy, and they seemed very nervous. The boy looked like he was the walking death. He introduced himself, and found out that their names were Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, and Adrianne Laverte.

-o-

Once everyone was in, the giant man called out "FOREWARD" and the boats lurched forward all at once. As they sailed across the lake, the castle loomed closer. Soon, the front boats were reaching the cliff the castle was standing on, and the giant called out "Heads down!" The boats floated down a dark tunnel that took them under the castle, and stopped at a small underground harbor. The first years all climbed out of their boats.

The giant man led the first years up a stone passageway, coming out on smooth grass in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge oak front door. The giant man knocked on the door three times, and the door swung open.

A tall black-haired witch in emerald green robes stood at the open door.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." The giant man said to the witch.

"Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here." Professor McGonagall said to the giant man, indicating that this man's name was Hagrid. Professor McGonagall opened the door wide enough to reveal the entrance hall. It was a huge room with stone walls lit by flaming torches. The ceiling was so high it seemed to go on forever. A magnificent marble staircase was facing them and led to higher levels of the castle.

Professor McGonagall led the first years into a small empty chamber of the side of the hall. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

The first years all looked around at each other nervously. Some students were whispering spells they had read about under their breath, while others were sharing stories about that older students had told them the sorting was about. Someone mentioned something about wrestling a troll, although almost no one believed them.

Professor McGonagall returned and led them through a door into the magnificent Great Hall. The room was lit by thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among students where misty silver ghosts. Somewhere down the line someone made a comment about the ceiling and how it was enchanted to match the sky outside. It was dark, as it was night, and there were a few dark clouds rolling across the starry sky.

Professor McGonagall set a ragged hat down on a four legged stool in front of the first years. The first years stared at it wondering what it was doing there and how it was related to the Sorting Ceremony. Suddenly a rip opened up in the hat and it began singing.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.  
You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can top them all.  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a steady mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

(a/n: I know that in the books the sorting hat has a new song every year, but I am not creative enough to make up my own song so I am borrowing the song from SS)

When the hat was finished with its song the entire Great Hall exploded with clapping and cheers.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a list of all the first years' names.

"Ackerly, Darwin" was called forward first. He sat down on the stool and Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his hear. The hat seemed to be thinking and after a short silence it called out "HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Black, Sirius," was called up, and Sirius left his spot in line to try on the ragged hat. He smiled nervously as he sat down on the stool. The hat took a long time with deciding where to put Sirius. The hat seemed to think that Sirius was conflicted, and would do well in any house. Sirius talked, or rather thought himself through whether or not he wanted to do what was expected of him, or what he truly wanted. In the end, the hat decided for him. Eventually it called out "GRYFFINDOR!" Sirius was somewhat distraught but also happy. He walked over to the table on the far left wall which was cheering.

A few more students were called to the stool before "Evans, Lily" was called. Adrianne flashed a small smile at her friend from the train, who looked as if she might faint. Lily sat down on the stool and the hat was placed on her head. The hat had a hard time placing Lily. It said she would do well in Ravenclaw, she defiantly had the thirst for knowledge, but she would also do well in Slytherin as she was cunning and had drive. In the end it was Lily's bravery and courage that came out the strongest and the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" Lily joined the Gryffindor table, sitting near Sirius.

After "Macnair, Walden" was sorted into "SLYTHERIN!" "Laverte, Adrianne" was called to the stool. Adrianne walked slowly to the stool. It seemed so much further away now that she was trying to reach it. She felt every eye in the room settle on her, which made her stomach do summersaults. She finally reached the stool and sat down. The hat sunk down and covered her eyes. Inside her head a voice started speaking. "You have a brilliant mind, and a desire to learn, but you also have a strong amount of courage. You could do well in any of the houses, but let's say GRYFFINDOR!" Adrianne heard the crowd in the hall burst into applause and walked over to the Gryffindor table. She sat down next to Lily and looked up at the stool to watch the rest of the sorting.

Just after Adrianne was sorted, "Lupin, Remus" was called forward. Remus was shaking pretty violently. He kept thinking the hat would shout out to the entire school that he was a werewolf, or that it would tell him there was no house in Hogwarts for monsters. Luckily, neither of these happened, and the hat decided almost immediately to place him in "GRYFFINDOR!" and he joined Adrianne and Lily at the Gryffindor table.

After a few more students were sorted, the then "Pettigrew, Peter" was called. He nearly had to beg the hat not to place him in Hufflepuff, and ended up in "GRYFFINDOR!"

Next "Potter, James" was called forward. The hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" almost as soon as the hat was set on James's head. He sat down between Remus and Sirius at the Gryffindor table.

"Sinclair, Jena," was called up, and she sat down on the stool. The hat deliberated briefly with her, but then called out "GRYFFINDOR!" Jena flashed Chrissy a smile before joining the Gryffindor table, sitting next to her brother.

A few more students were sorted, and then "Valwick, Christabel" was the last one. Chrissy was nervous as she set the hat on her head. She didn't even know where her parents had been sorted in their school days, and was sure they would never know where she got sorted. The hat took a long time placing Chrissy, saying that she was one of the more difficult minds. After what seemed to Chrissy as an eternity, she was sorted into "GRYFFINDOR!" and went to join Jena.

After the sorting was finished, the man sitting at the center of the teacher's table with long white hair and beard, and half moon spectacles stood up. "Welcome to this year's Welcoming Feast," he said. "Before I say anything else, let me say this...Dig in!"

Food appeared on the plates on all five long tables, and students and teachers alike started to scarf down food.

When everyone had eaten all they could, Professor Dumbledore rose again. "Just a few announcements before I send you off to bed tonight. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. I have also been asked by Mr. Filch to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house team should contact Madam Hooch."

After making his announcements, Professor Dumbledore released the students to return to their house dormitories. The Gryffindor prefects led the first years to the tower where the Gryffindor house is located. They were told the password ("Gillyweed") which opened the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, concealed behind the portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress. The prefects led the first year students into the Gryffindor common room, a cozy round shaped room filled with cushy armchairs and warm inviting fireplaces. The girls were directed to a staircase at the right and the boys to the left.

--

Adrianne, Lily, Jena, and Chrissy made their way up the spiral staircase to the door that was labeled "First Years." Lily and Adrianne chose beds close to one another, and Jena and Chrissy took the remaining two beds. The room was circular, and near the top of the Gryffindor tower. Four four-poster beds lined the walls and were hung with deep red velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up to the room and placed at the end of their beds. The girls changed into the pajamas and went to sleep, each of them falling asleep almost immediately.

--

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus went up the stairs to their room, entering the door that was labeled "first years." Each boy chose a red canopied bed in the circular shaped room, and went to sleep.

--

A/N: That was a long one for ya! I had to have seven points of view in this chapter, and as you could tell there was a lot of overlap, but it's their first meeting! Before this chapter Jena and Chrissy were the only ones who knew each other, and now they all know each other, even if only by sight. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, more exciting stuff (I hope!) to come soon!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners


	10. Making Your Own Place in the World

Making Your Own Place in the World

Welcome to the planet  
Welcome to existence  
Everyone's here  
Everyone's here  
Everybody's watching you now  
Everybody waits for you now  
What happens next  
What happens next  
-"Dare you to Move" Switchfoot

When Adrianne awoke the following morning it took her a moment to understand where she was. The deep red velvet curtains hanging around her four-poster bed was very much different from the pink satin she was used to at home. She closed her eyes quickly and reopened them, making sure everything of the past day hadn't really been a dream. A voice across the room seemed to prove to Adrianne that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her.

"Wake up Chrissy, we're going to be late for breakfast." Came the voice of Jena Sinclair. Adrianne poked her head out of the curtain and Jena spoke again. "Sorry, we haven't been formally introduced yet. I'm Jena Sinclair, and Sleeping Beauty here is Chrissy Valwick."

"I'm – I'm Adrianne Laverte." Adrianne said holding out her hand to Jena.

Lily poked her head out and said "I'm Lily Evans."

The four girls got dressed and went down to breakfast together. Jena and Chrissy had been friends for years, and were both children of pure magical families. Adrianne was jealous of how much they already knew about magic, but the girls assured her that she would catch up quickly.

The girls found four seats next to one another at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Course schedules were handed out, and Adrianne saw that she had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall for her first lesson. Professor McGonagall, along with being Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts was also the Gryffindor Head of House.

--

James woke up to the sound of someone moving around, trying to be stealthy but making more noise than appropriate for the time of day. He poked his head out of the curtains hanging from his four poster bed and saw Remus was struggling to get dressed in silence, but so far had only succeeded in knocking over his pile of books, and tripping over his own trunk.

"Sorry," Remus whispered when he saw James's face.

"It's alright. I guess I may as well be getting up now." James said, getting up off his bed. He changed into his school robes, having a much easier time then Remus was. By the time the boys were both dressed, Peter and Sirius had woken up and were moving around. James and Remus waited for their roommates to join them for breakfast. The four boys made their way to the Great Hall together, all too sleepy to speak.

--

Course schedules were handed out during breakfast. Gryffindor first years had Transfiguration first with their Head of House, Professor McGonagall. After breakfast was over, the eight first year Gryffindors made their way to the Transfiguration classroom.

Professor McGonagall started off the lesson with an introduction to the subject of transfiguration, as well as telling them what she expected of them. They spent the rest of the period trying to turn matches into needles.

At the end of the period, Professor McGonagall assigned them homework. "As none of you mastered this spell today, I want you all to practice for homework and be ready to try it again on next class. Also, Mr. Lupin if I could have a word with you after class."

--

Remus panicked. What could he have done wrong already? When the entire class had emptied the room, Professor McGonagall said, "Relax Mr. Lupin, I just have a few things to discuss with you about—" she paused, and used her wand to close the classroom door. "About the next full moon. A letter was sent to your parents this summer explaining the safety features put into effect this term for your safety and for the safety of classmates. On the afternoon of the full moon, Madam Pomfrey, the school healer, will escort you to a hidden passageway securely located underneath a tree called the Whomping Willow. The passageway will lead you to a shack in the nearby village of Hogsmead. No one will be able to reach you from the village as the doors and windows are all entirely boarded up. Professor Dumbledore himself decorated the shack with furniture that will not be harmful to you. You will spend the night in the shack in Hogsmead, and in the morning Madam Pomfrey will escort you back to the castle. Do you have any questions?"

"What time?" Remus asked faintly.

"What time will she fetch you from your common room, or what time will she bring you back to the school?"

"Both, I suppose."

"4:30 pm and 8:30 am. It is likely you will spend the day after the full moon recovering in the hospital wing. Anything else?"

"What—won't everyone notice I'm missing?"

"I was asked to have you create a cover story. You don't have to think of anything right now, but sometime in the next three weeks you are to tell me your cover story and we can work out the details. If you have no more questions, you may leave. Your next lesson is about to start."

--

James and Sirius soon realized that they had a lot in common. After their original meeting on the train, Sirius though James to be annoying, and James thought Sirius to be an arrogant prat. They soon learned how very wrong they were.

"Mr. Black if you won't stop throwing paper chunks at Mr. Snape I am going to have to put you in detention." Professor Slughorn said during one double potions lesson with the Slytherins. Snape was a boy with greasy hair and a long hooked nose, whom Sirius had taken an immediate dislike too.

"Yes sir." Sirius said obediently, but as soon as the professor turned his back, Sirius was back at it.

"Detention Mr. Black." Professor Slughorn said, catching Sirius in the act. "I expected better behavior from a Black."

Sirius mocked Professor Slughorn behind his back, causing his three dormmates to laugh. Professor Slughorn turned to investigate, but they stopped immediately. Sirius assumed a pose of complete innocence which made Slughorn even more suspicious.

After Slughorn had gotten back into his explanation of today's potion, Sirius starting making more paper chinks to throw. James took one from Sirius's pile and tossed it with ease right at Snape's head.

"Mr. Black!" Slughorn shouted.

"It wasn't me, sir, I swear." Sirius said, struggling back a laugh.

"It was Potter, sir." Snape said menacingly.

"Mr. Potter, you can join Mr. Black in detention." Slughorn said before returning to the lesson.

From that point on, James and Sirius were inseparable. They were self proclaimed mischief makers extraordinaire.

--

After the first week of classes, Adrianne and Lily wrote letters home:

Cher Grand-père,

I feel like I have been living in my wildest dreams here at Hogwarts. Even the building is spectacular. The school is a millennia old castle in Scotland, with towers and dungeons and a big lake on the grounds. It's not as nice as Le Petit Chateau though. I will give you a full description later on.

I made two friends on the Hogwarts Express, Lily Evans and Remus Lupin. Lily's parents are both muggles, which means they, like you, have no magic in them. Remus's parents are both magic.

At the Welcoming Feast the first year students get sorted into one of the four houses. I was sorted into Gryffindor, a house which is known for its bravery, as were Lily and Remus.

I have also made good friends with my two other dormmates, Jena Sinclair and Chrissy Valwick. They are the other two Gryffindor girls in my year. They are both pure blood witches, and are best friends from when they were young. Jena and Chrissy have been very helpful with me and Lily who know nothing about magic, except what we have read in our textbooks so far. Lily also bought extra books this summer and has promised me she will let me read the ones I haven't already bought. I think Lily and I are going to be great friends.

Classes have been fascinating. We have just been learning the basics right now, but Professor McGonagall, the Gryffindor Head of House and Deputy Headmistress as well as our Transfiguration professor, can turn herself into a cat! She doesn't need a wand or a spell or anything. I simply can not wait until we start learning how to do those things.

There are one-hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide sweeping ones; narrow rickety ones; some that lead somewhere different on Fridays; some with vanishing steps you have to remember to jump. There are doors that don't open unless you ask politely, or tickle them in just the right spot, and doors that aren't really even doors, just walls pretending. And everything seems to move around a lot! The subjects in the portraits move from frame to frame to visit each other, and I am almost certain that one of the coats of armor can walk!

Oh and Grand-père, you won't believe this! There are ghosts at Hogwarts! Each house has their own, Gryffindor's ghost is called Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpimgton or Nearly Headless Nick. Now you may be wondering how someone could be nearly headless, as I was wondering when I heard the nickname, but as Sir Nicholas showed me, his head is hanging on by a small bit of skin due to a horribly botched beheading. Sir Nicholas is very nice, and is always willing to point a lost Gryffindor in the right direction.

Peeves the Poltergeist is not helpful at all. He is usually good for pulling a prank or misleading a lost first year. I had the misfortune of running into Peeves on my second day of classes and ended up being ten minutes late for Potions, and covered in chalk dust. Potions is not a good class to be late to. Professor Slughorn is the Slytherin Head of House.

That is all I can think of right now. There is so much to say and I don't know what I have left out. Send me questions to answer with your next letter. I am sending this with one of the school owls. It should stay with you long enough for you to send a response back, just tie the letter to its leg and the owl will find me.

Princesse Adrianne

--

Dear Mum and Dad, and Petunia,

Hogwarts is fantastic! I absolutely love it here! I have already made a great friend. Her name is Adrianne Laverte, and her grandfather is the old French man who told us how to get onto the Platform. She was raised as a muggle like me, and we have been having excellent adventures learning magic, and the school. Classes have been very exciting. We are learning so much. I can't wait until we start doing real magic. Right now we are just learning the basics.

The girls I share a room with, Chrissy and Jena, both come from families of all witches and wizards. They know loads of stuff I don't know, and they have been really good about filling me and Adrianne in.

I miss you all, and I miss not seeing you everyday. That will be the one hard part of me coming to Hogwarts. I can't wait until I have more exciting things to write to you, but for now this is all.

Love,  
Lily

They went together in search of the owlery to send out their letters. They got lost and somehow ended up in the dungeons. Both girls were terrified of who they might run into so they turned around and ran straight into something very solid. The girls looked up at the tall blonde boy they had run into. They didn't know his name just that he was in Slytherin and in sixth or seventh year. He looked down his pointed face at the two girls with his cold, grey eyes. A shudder ran up Adrianne's spine as her eyes met with his. She nudged Lily to move around him, but he spoke before Lily caught the hint.

"Lost are we?" He said in a smooth, cold voice.

Adrianne seemed to have lost her voice, but Lily was able to squeak out a little "No" before falling silent again.

"You are Gryffindors, aren't you?" He said, again in that cold voice.

Adrianne simply nodded a small nod. Lily was motionless beside her, clutching her letter in her right hand. The older Slytherin seemed to notice, as his eyes drifted to Lily's hand. Adrianne looked at her friend and saw that her face seemed to have lost all color.

"You are very far from the owlery down here." He sneered.

Adrianne and Lily just stared at him, or more through him. Both girls were too afraid to make eye contact with this Slytherin.

"Oh there you are Lucius, I've been searching the entire castle for you." called a female. As she drew closer, Adrianne saw that she was also blonde, and had the look of someone who was smelling something rancid.

"I have just been helping these two first years find the owlery, Narcissa." Lucius said. Narcissa looked at Adrianne and Lily with a look of disgust.

"They're just two mudblood Gryffindors, let them find their own way. It's their own fault they got lost anyway, isn't it Lucius." Narcissa scoffed.

Adrianne didn't fully understand what happened next. All she knew was that someone shouted a hex and Narcissa and Lucius ended up in a heap on the floor. Lily looked furious at who had cast the hex.

"James Potter! You are not supposed to use magic in the corridors!" She shouted furiously at James. Adrianne turned to see James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter standing, only James holding his wand out.

"I was just defending the honor of the Gryffindor House." James said arrogantly.

"You are no better than them!" Lily shouted.

"At least I can see past the fact that your parents are muggles."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"She called you a "mudblood." It means dirty blood, it's a really foul name for someone who comes from non-magical parentage." Remus explained calmly.

"That's what that meant." Adrianne said suddenly understanding everything better. "But, my mum was a witch, why would Narcissa call us both mudbloods?"

"To people like _her_, that doesn't matter." Sirius said angrily. Lily and Adrianne stared at him in confusion.

"Narcissa is Sirius's cousin." Remus explained. "We should probably leave before they wake up. I'm just not in the mood to be taking on two very angry Slytherin sixth years today."

Lily and Adrianne walked with the boys for a while, nobody saying a word, until they reached the stairway that would take the girls to the owlery. Lily and Adrianne climbed the stairs without a word. After the girls had sent their letters out, they sat at the window watching the owls circling the skies.

"That James Potter is such a prat! I don't need anyone defending me from big bad Slytherins!" Lily shouted suddenly, scaring a few of the owls out of the owlery. Adrianne wasn't sure how to react so she didn't. Lily continued on, "He thinks he is so great, and he can come to the rescue of some damsels in distress, but you know what, I'm not a damsel in distress! I am perfectly capable of defending myself from two arrogant Slytherins!"

Lily seemed to have gotten everything out she wanted to say because she didn't speak again until they were back in the Gryffindor common room talking with Jena and Chrissy.

--

"I don't get why she took it so hard. Narcissa called her a mudblood, and I hexed her. Adrianne didn't seem upset by me doing that." James said loudly once they left the girls.

"It's the red hair." Peter said, all-knowingly.

"Really?" James and Sirius asked in unison.

"Yup. I read it once. People with red hair have horrid tempers. Something about having fire coming out of their brains."

"You just made that up Peter." Sirius accused.

"Did not!" Peter said defensively.

"Shut up!" James shouted over the two.

--

The next morning at breakfast, Sirius received his first letter from home. He had been expecting this letter and a great scolding from his mother, and was honestly surprised it took this long. His mother must have been trying to ignore him but couldn't not scold him for doing something so horrendous as allow himself to be sorted into Gryffindor where he would be mixing with blood traitors and mudbloods.

Sirius Black,

I must begin in expressing my displeasure in the fact that after one week away from home you have not so much as attempted to contact home. Narcissa told her mother about the little run in you and your blood traitor friends had with her and Lucius Malfoy. You are mixing with the wrong sort Sirius and I will have none of it. If you were to speak with your cousin I am sure she would be glad to assist you in befriending the right sort. You need to straighten your act up or you will end the same way as Andromeda.

Have a great term, and be sure to write home often.  
Your Mother and Father

"What a wonderful woman your mother is." James commented, reading over Sirius's shoulder.

"She's just peachy."

"Who's Andromeda and what happened to her?" Remus asked.

"She's my cousin, Narcissa's older sister. She married a muggle-born and was disowned. The way mother speaks of her its like she died, but I suppose to my aunt and uncle she did."

"They disowned their own daughter for marrying a muggle-born? Harsh." James said.

"You don't know the half of it James."

--

September flew past in a wave of lessons, homework, letters from home, and pranks. The first year Gryffindors seemed to have declared war after the incident with the Slytherins. Lily and James were furious with each other, although their friends couldn't understand why.

Adrianne and Remus remained friends, even through Lily and James's feud. They would stay up late studying together, or helping each other on their homework. Adrianne seemed to be a natural at Transfiguration, and also had a knack for Herbology, whereas Remus was stronger in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Astronomy. Lily, who was excellent at Charms and Potions would often join them, but preferred to study alone in the library.

--

James and Sirius started to make themselves known throughout the school as mischief makers. They started pulling pranks on their fellow classmates, although targeting the Slytherins the worst. All of their pranks were harmless, and earned them many laughs, even though none of them technically could be traced back to them. The teachers seemed to look the other way whenever something happened with the signature of the two young Gryffindors.

Occasionally they would try to include their two dormmates, but Remus seemed too scared to cause trouble, and Peter was far too prone to spill the beans.

One night, Sirius was making plans for another brilliant prank, but couldn't find James.

"Her Lupin, have you seen James?" Sirius asked.

"Not since dinner." Remus answered. He was pacing the room nervously, but Sirius took no notice.

"Well, er, do you want to come along. I have an excellent idea to get Snivellius back." Sirius said, indicating a payback prank for something Snape had done to the boys earlier that week.

"No, but thanks. I'm leavening for the night. I have to go, er, visit my sick mother. She's really ill." Remus answered awkwardly.

"Yeah, tell her we hope she gets better soon." Sirius said.

Remus left the room to go meet Madam Pomfrey at the portrait hole, but got caught by another friend before he could sneak out.

--

"Remus!" Adrianne called across the room. He looked up, startled, but smiled weakly when he saw her. She ran over to him. "Where are you going?"

"I – er, I have to go – go visit my – er sick mum." Remus said. He looked pale and was shaking slightly.

"Oh, well I hope she feels better then." Adrianne said.

"Er – thanks." Remus said before turning around and leaving the common room. Adrianne thought it was strange he was leaving on a Wednesday evening to go visit his sick mother. She guessed she must be very sick for him to be leaving school, and hoped that for Remus's sake she got better quick.

Adrianne walked back to the table she had been studying at and packed up her books. She suddenly wasn't in the mood to work alone, and went to find Lily in the library. To her surprise, Lily wasn't alone in the library. James Potter was sitting in the chair next to her, staring blankly at his History of Magic textbook. Lily was reading her Transfiguration book and taking notes, but seemed distracted by James's presence. She kept shooting looks his way, hoping he would take the hint and move to an unoccupied table. James either didn't notice or didn't care, because he remained where he was and didn't look at Lily once.

Adrianne set her bag down on the table across from Lily, both Lily and James looked up at her. Lily opened her mouth to say hi, but James beat her to it.

"Hello Adrianne, lovely to see you here today." He said in a horribly arrogant tone. Adrianne just glared at him. She redirected her attention to Lily who had a look of desperate pleading on it. Her eyes simply said "Get me out of this."

Adrianne smiled at her friend and said, "Lily, I really need your help on my Charms homework. Do you think we could go back to the common room and work on it?"

"What's wrong with doing your homework in the library? It's much quieter here then in the common room, and that's what libraries are for, studying." James cut in.

"It is impossible to study with you sitting here breathing down our necks, Potter!" Lily shrieked. Her face was almost as red as her hair, and she looked like she was about ready to hit James.

"I didn't realize I was that much of a distraction to you Evans. Please, don't let my presence distract you from you studies." James said smirking, as he stood up and moved to the next closest table, directly in Lily's line of vision.

Lily tried her hardest to ignore James throughout the entire study session. Adrianne was surprised with how little her friend seemed affected by his presence, especially after her outburst earlier. She knew that it was almost painful for Lily to not yell at him again, and to focus on Adrianne and their homework.

When the girls were finished with their Charms and History of Magic homework, they packed up their bags and headed back to the common room. Adrianne saw James do the same from the corner of her eye. He made sure he stayed far enough back so as to not endure the wrath of Lily Evans if he got to close. Adrianne couldn't help but think it was cute the way he seemed to have taken a liking to Lily, especially since she couldn't seem to stand long periods of time in his presence.

Sirius Black intercepted the trio on their way back to the Gryffindor common room.

"James, there you are! I have been searching the castle from top to bottom for you." He said, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder. "Where on earth have you been?"

"The Library." James answered quietly, trying to hide his presence from the wrath of Lily Evans.

"Psh, the library! Who goes to the library? Don't tell me you were…studying." Sirius said in mock horror. James didn't answer. "Oh James, please…tell…me…that…you…weren't…studying." Sirius whispered the last word.

"Don't be ridiculous Black, studying isn't horrible." Lily said, surprising everyone with her completely civil tone.

Sirius and James stared at her with their mouths hanging open. "What—did—you—say?" James and Sirius said in unison.

"I said that the both of you could use some time well spent in the library rather than maraudering around the school playing nasty pranks on the Slytherins." Lily explained, sounding more like a teacher or mother than an eleven year old girl.

"What was that word you used?" Sirius asked, perking up.

"Pranks?" Lily said sounding confused.

"No, no, maraudering. That's it James, we are the Marauders!" Sirius said, smiling broadly.

"You have a name for yourselves. How cute." Lily said, mockingly.

James and Sirius ignored her, and started to walk back to the Gryffindor tower.

"What was that all about?" Lily asked Adrianne.

"You gave them ideas Lily. Not good, not good at all." Adrianne answered.

--

"Hey Pete, you want to be a Marauder with me and James?" Sirius asked once they found him.

"What?" Peter seemed confused. "What's a Marauder?"

"It's what we are, James and me. We named ourselves, or more Evans named us. But it's still brilliant."

"It is, it really is." James said.

--

Meanwhile, off in the shack built especially for Remus, the moon was transforming boy into monster. The moon was out in full force tonight, and the monster inside Remus was reflecting that. The monster wanted blood, flesh. He started scratching himself, relieved to smell, taste blood. It was his own, he knew, but if satisfied the cravings. The monster thrashed, grabbed a hold of the nearest piece of furniture and started scratching and gnawing on it. Somewhere deep inside the monster, a little boy was humming to himself trying to remember his mother. The monster laughed, _she isn't here, it's just you and me._

--

James, Sirius and Peter stayed up all night, or at least until 3 am which to three eleven year old boys is all night, planning how they would show the world, or at least Hogwarts, that they were the Marauders. Because of this, they were completely exhausted the next day, barely making it though classes without falling asleep.

"Black, Potter, Pettigrew, see me after class." Professor McGonagall yelled at them when she noticed they had abandoned their assignment and were resting their heads on each other's shoulders. Actually it was Peter's loud snore that got them into trouble.

When the class was over and the girls had left the room, Professor McGonagall turned to the three young boys in her house. "I wasn't aware that eleven year old boys still required naptime. However I ask that you use your own time for naps. I suggest skipping lunch, as this information will be on the end of the year examinations. Five points from Gryffindor each, now get to you next class, and don't let me hear you three have been napping in class again or it will be detentions next."

James, Sirius, and Peter filed out of the classroom and headed to History of Magic.

"If only we could have waited until Binns's class to fall asleep." Sirius said jokingly. Professor Binns was the oldest staff member, besides perhaps Professor Dumbledore. In fact he looks like the walking death. Every year students take bets on whether or not he will survive the entire term.

"I don't care if I just woke up from a month long hibernation, nothing can keep me up once Binns gets going." James said. Peter laughed at both boys' jokes.

Sure enough, as soon as Professor Binns started lecturing, all three boys were reduced to zombies, as well as Jena and Chrissy two rows up. In the front two seats sat Lily and Adrianne, who were busy taking notes of every word Professor Binns spoke. Professor Binns neither noticed the two attentive learners, or the five zombies who had taken over the back of his classroom. For the entire period, Professor Binns lectured on goblin rebellions from the 17th century, a topic that could be mildly interesting if taught by any other Professor. The dry, wheezy, monotone voice of Professor Binns has a tendency to lose the interest of students within minutes. Only those who truly wanted to listen could keep themselves focused on his words. Students like Lily Evans, Adrianne Laverte, and the absent Remus Lupin.

--

Remus woke up in the bright white expanse of the hospital wing at Hogwarts. At first, he thought he was back in St. Mungo's, but the sight of Madam Pomfrey made him realize he was still in Hogwarts.

"Good, you're up. Drink this." Madam Pomfrey said, thrusting a goblet of potion into his hand. Remus drank the potion, and then the next one and then the next one until Madam Pomfrey was satisfied. Once all of his cuts were healed, and he was strong enough to move about the hospital wing on his own, Remus was released back to the Gryffindor common room. He walked slowly, avoiding students roaming the halls. It was dinnertime when Remus made it back to the Gryffindor tower. He wasn't hungry and fully intended on skipping the meal, but to his surprise the Gryffindor tower was not empty. Adrianne and Lily were on their way out of the portrait hole as Remus was coming in.

"Remus, you're back already. How is your mother feeling?" Adrianne asked, surprised to she her friend.

"Wha—oh my mum, she's, er, better." Remus muttered.

"That's good. Are you coming down to dinner? You can come with us." Adrianne said. Remus had no choice but to go to dinner now.

--

James, Sirius, and Peter hailed Remus down the moment he entered the hall with Adrianne and Lily. The girls allowed Remus to be dragged away from them and sat down with Jena and Chrissy.

"Hey Lupin, welcome back mate." James said as Remus sat down.

"Er, thanks," Remus said meekly.

"We have a proposition for you Mr. Lupin." Sirius said, sounding official all of a sudden.

"A proposition?"

"How would you like to join an elite group that calls themselves the Marauders?"

"The Marauders?"

"Yeah."

"Er…"

"Just think about it and get back to us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, James, Peter or yours truly."

"You three are these elite Marauders?"

"Yep."

"Cute."

"Watch it or we take the proposition off the table."

"No, no, I'll join, as long as I don't have to do any weird ritual to get in."

"No, but that's a brilliant idea! Any new members, after you of course, will have to go through an initiation or something. Brilliant, mate, simply brilliant."

--

"He looks a bit peaky doesn't he?" Adrianne said, looking over at Remus.

"What do you mean?" Jena asked looking Remus's way as well.

"He said his mum was the sick one, but it looks more like he's been ill." Lily answered.

"Maybe he's just upset that something will happen to her while she's away." Chrissy suggested.

"I suppose." Adrianne didn't seem convinced. She kept glancing over at Remus, noticing how he barely touched his dinner

--

As the days flew by, the Gryffindor first years became more comfortable at Hogwarts and with magic. Lessons were steadily getting more involved, and they were learning simple spells on a daily basis.

Professor Slughorn monitored his students and began to pick out who would go farthest or bring him the most connections. Older students mentioned a group called the Slug Club, which consists of Slughorn's favorites.

Sirius was invited to a few of Slughorn's parties but never cared to go. He reluctantly attended the first one, but after being pressured to rub shoulders with the likes of Snivellus Snape, he stopped going. James got an invitation once, but he flatly refused after hearing Sirius's account of what it was like to be in the Slug Club.

--

October blew by and before Remus was ready, his second Hogwarts full moon was nearing. This time he was prepared to tell his friends he would be leaving and had his cover story better planned out.

"Hey Remus, how's tomorrow night for Operation Degrease Snivellus?" James asked as the boys were sitting around their room the night before the full moon.

"I can't tomorrow. My mum is really sick again. I'm going to see her tomorrow." Remus answered, much less nervous then the previous month.

"Oh, she's still ill then?" James asked.

"Er, yeah."

"What's wrong with her then, that's making her so sick all the time?"

"Oh it's just some obscure life threatening disease. I can't even pronounce it."

"Hope she gets better."

"I'll tell her that."

--

"Hey Remus!" Adrianne called to Remus the next morning at breakfast. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm going home to visit my mother. She's ill again."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah."

"Hope she feels better."

"Yeah. Why did you want to know what I was doing tonight?"

"Oh, Lily and I were going to study for our Charms test tomorrow and we though you'd wasn't to join us."

"Charms test tomorrow! I forgot all about that!"

"Are you going to be back in the morning?"

"I'm not sure."

"Do you think Flitwick will let you make it up?"

"Oh I'm sure he will. All the Professors understand about my, er, mum and all. I just don't want to be under prepared for it."

"I'm sure you will do fine Remus. Just study while you sit with your mother or something."

"Yeah, I suppose I can do that."

--

"Is Remus coming?" Lily asked Adrianne as she entered the library after dinner that evening.

"He couldn't come tonight. He's visiting his sick mother again." Adrianne answered.

"Wow, she must be really ill if he's leaving on a weeknight and right before a test."

"Yeah, well you can't plan illness around class schedules."

The girls studied in the library until it was time for them to get back to the common room. As they were walking back to the Gryffindor tower, they met up with James, Sirius, and Peter who were all laughing hysterically over something.

"What on earth could possibly be that funny?" Lily demanded.

"Oh just something we happened to come across on our little stroll." James answered, with a smirk on his face.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"What? We aren't allowed to walk through the corridors and laugh. I'm sorry Miss Evans, I don't believe we are reading the same rulebook." Lily looked furious with this statement made by James. She didn't say another word the rest of the walk back. She stormed upstairs to the first year girl's dormitory and immediately shut herself in her bed. Adrianne stayed downstairs for a bit, reading over her Charms notes one last time, not really worried about the test just trying to relax herself a bit before going upstairs to Lily.

--

Jena and Chrissy were playing chess in front of the fire when Adrianne sat down next to them. Both girls looked up and slight shock. For the first two months of school, Adrianne and Lily were nearly inseparable, and Jena and Chrissy rarely saw one without the other.

"Where's Lily?" Chrissy asked after taking one of Jena's pawns.

"She's cooling herself down upstairs." Adrianne answered.

"Cooling herself down?" Jena asked, confused by this statement.

"Oh just James Potter getting to her again."

"Oh," Jena and Chrissy said in unison.

Adrianne stayed to watch Chrissy beat Jena at their game of chess, and then dozed off briefly in her armchair. She woke up to commotion on the other side of the common room, which turned out to be James and Sirius reeking havoc as usual. Adrianne said goodnight to Jena and Chrissy and went upstairs. She could hear deep breathing coming from Lily's bed meaning that she had fallen asleep.

--

James and Sirius loved to show off. They were two very smart boys, and even though they didn't study they still did very well in classes. Even after just two months of magical education, they were able to impress a group of second and third years in the common room with their pranks and jokes. Peter couldn't match their brilliance, but he was always around to form a crowd with his laughter. When Remus was around, he would sit off to the side, usually reading a book of some sorts, and occasionally glance at his friends. When he was feeling good, Remus would join James and Sirius in their little show, adding whatever knowledge he had picked up from some obscure book that he could.

Tonight, it was just James and Sirius. They were on a high from the prank they had played on Snivellus earlier, and had drawn an unusually large crown around them in the common room. The laughter of their admirers, echoed around the circular room, making it seem even more impressive. A few older students left for their dormitories for some silence. Soon, all that was left in the common room was the crowd swelling around James and Sirius, and Jena, Chrissy and Adrianne sitting near the fire. James noticed Lily Evans was nowhere in sight.

--

After Adrianne had gone to bed, Jena and Chrissy started talking. "I think it's funny how much James Potter upsets Lily Evans. If he's really that annoying then why do I have such an easy time blocking him and Sirius Black out?" Jena said.

"I don't know. Maybe he's even more annoying around her. He does seem to single her out an awful lot."

"You don't think, maybe, he, er, fancies her?"

"Do boys even like girls at age eleven?"

"I don't know. I suppose some of them might."

"But Lily doesn't fancy him, does she?"

"Her rage does seem very, er, ragey. But maybe she's just a really good actress. She is muggle born after all."

"What does being muggle born have to do with acting?"

"I don't know, just that they have movies and TV and everything. Muggle borns are just more exposed to acting."

"I suppose that makes sense."

--

In the shrieking shack, the monster inside of Remus was fighting for control again. The boy inside of Remus was nearly screaming out lullabies his mother used to sing outside his door on the full moon. The monster was laughing. _Silly boy_, it would say. _Your dear mother isn't here anymore. It's just you and me._

"No!" Remus would scream. He fought the monster swelling inside of him with every ounce of energy he had left. The beast was stronger. The beast tore at Remus's flesh, reveling in the blood drawn from the wounds. "No," Remus whimpered. The monster laughed again. Remus's world was fading to black, and he was falling.

--

Lily dreamed she was watching a large bird with the body of a horse fly over the castle. There seemed to be people on this curious winged creature. Three of them, a young girl and boy, and an adult man. The two males seemed oddly familiar, but they were flying much to fast for Lily to get a good look. The winged creature landed and let off its riders. It seemed that she was very much mistaken by the riders. It was actually just herself and James Potter. Potter was leading her across the grounds, past the Lily that had been watching on the ground.

"Where are you taking me Potter?" The Lily who had been flying asked.

"You'll see." James teased. The couple walked toward the forest, and the first Lily followed closely behind. It was strange, the Lily that was walking with James seemed to be older, maybe 15 or 16, while the Lily watching them was the same age as the Lily who was dreaming.

Somewhere off in the distance there was a roar. The Lily walking with James grabbed his arm in fear while the younger Lily looked for the source of the sound. As she looked back toward older Lily and James, all she saw was darkness.

Lily realized that the roar had been laughter coming from the common room. She poked her head out of her bed and saw that Adrianne's curtains were drawn, but Jena and Chrissy apparently were still downstairs. Lily had no idea what time it was, and really didn't care. She shut her curtains and fell back to sleep, forgetting the strange dream she had for a very long time.

--

Jena and Chrissy were the last to leave the common room. The girls had gotten deep into a conversation about their classmates and didn't realize how late it had gotten, or that the crowd surrounding James and Sirius had dissipated. It was nearly 2am when they made their way up to the first year girl's dormitory.

--

The moon shone brightly through the window. Off in the distance, the Whomping Willow was thrashing in the wind, unnoticed by all. In this distant village of Hogsmead, villagers could hear the horrible banging and scratching coming from an old boarded up house no one had ever noticed before.

--

James, Sirius, and Peter woke up exhausted the next morning. They had been in the common room until past midnight, and stayed up talking in their dormitory much later. It was near 3am when they all fell asleep. Peter barely made it to breakfast, only be awoken by Sirius singing loudly in his ear.

Considering they were running on about 4 hours of sleep, James and Sirius were very cheerful at breakfast. They would take food off of Peter's plate while he wasn't looking, causing him to go through an entire plate of scones without eating a single bite.

--

A few seats over, Lily and Adrianne were quizzing each other on Charms in between bites of food.

--

Next to them, Jena and Chrissy were falling asleep in their breakfasts.

--

The Charms test went pretty well. Lily and Adrianne felt comfortable with their performances as the left Professor Flitwick's classroom. James was boasting to Sirius about how well he thought he did, while Peter hoped he did half as well as James or Sirius were sure to have done. Jena and Chrissy were sure they had messed up a few things and checked with Lily and Adrianne afterwards. They decided to attribute their horrible grades to their lack of sleep the night before.

--

Remus woke up in the hospital wing again. He was hurting everywhere. Madam Pomfrey came over to him and handed him a goblet filled with potion. Remus drank it, and began to feel the pain drift away. All he could feel was a stinging pain on his face where a sticky potion was applied to what must have been self inflicted scratches. He fell asleep before soon after the potion had taken effect, drifting off into a deep dreamless sleep.

--

The Marauders soon discovered that History of Magic was the ideal class to discuss their plans. They could pass notes back and forth amongst themselves without Professor Binns even noticing. Occasionally Lily or Adrianne would catch them in the corner of their eyes and glare at them, but both girls knew it was this or sleeping and the silent passing of notes was much less disturbing then snoring.

****

James-are we still on for the you-know-what after dinner?-S.B.

Sirius-Yep. We should see in Remus wants to come along. I'm sure Peter will mess things up again, but Remus is trustworthy-J.P.

****

Trustworthy? Really? I see him rating on us as almost as likely as Peter getting us caught-S.B.

Remus is alright you know. He would have come along that one night if he wasn't with his sick mum-J.P.

****

Are you sure that's where he really goes? He never packs any bags, and its only ever one night. If my mum was sick, and I actually cared about her, I would stick around a lot longer then one night-S.B.

What if he's afraid of missing too much school? Or if his mum won't let him stay with her and ruin his education-J.P.

****

True, Lupin does seem very pro-learning-S.B.

So Remus is in?

****

I suppose.

Remus ended up declining the offer, saying he was exhausted and needed to get some rest so he didn't end up sick in the hospital wing, but wished them luck on their prank. Peter nearly weaseled his was into coming along, but Remus convinced him to stay and work on Potions homework.

--

Lily and Adrianne were already set up in the Common Room when James and Sirius came down. James veered off course to purposely walk past Lily, just to annoy her. When Lily showed no visible signs of annoyance, James stopped and turned back.

"Hey Evans." He said, forcing her to look at him.

"What?" Lily said with scowl on her face.

"No reason to get snippy with me, Evans, I was simply saying hello." James responded in a forced pleasant voice.

"Fine then, hello Potter." She smiled. "Good day Potter." Her smile shifted back into her scowl.

"Have a lovely evening, ladies." James said sweetly as he bowed away from them.

"He drives me mad!" Lily said once James was out of earshot. "I can feel the anger boiling up inside me when he speaks." Adrianne didn't want to say anything, but she could see the anger boiling, on her face. Lily's face was now beet red, so much that she looked like her head was just a mass of wild flames dancing on her shoulders.

--

Remus and Peter joined Lily and Adrianne in the common room, only moments after James and Sirius had passed through.

Remus looked from Lily to Adrianne and said, "What's wrong with her?"

"James" was all Adrianne needed to say for Remus to understand.

The four first years worked on their homework for the day together, Remus, Lily, and Adrianne helping Peter a lot, who wanted more than anything to go over to where some sixth years were playing a Wizarding chess tournament.

--

They had gotten away with it. Snivellus would be found in the morning, not knowing what had happened or who was behind it, and James and Sirius could act innocent. That is until someone called out Sirius's name.

Both boys stopped dead in their tracks. They were caught. There was no way of getting out of this, even if it was just a student. But they both knew who was behind them, waiting to hand out their punishments.

If looks could kill, James and Sirius would have died the instant they turned to face Narcissa and Lucius.

"What are you doing down here?" Narcissa demanded.

James and Sirius attempted their very best innocent faces and claimed, "Nothing." It was obvious neither Narcissa nor Lucius believed them.

"So you had nothing to do with the unfortunate condition we found Severus Snape in a few minutes ago?" Lucius asked.

"Unfortunate condition? Snape? How unfortunate!" Sirius said in mock surprise. Narcissa laughed.

"You stupid boy!" She said. "We found him just moments after you deposited him in the toilet down the hall and sent him to the hospital wing. Lucky for us, you two weren't quiet about your exit from the scene of the crime." Narcissa grabbed both James and Sirius's arms and dragged them to Professor Slughorn's office.

Much to the displeasure of Narcissa and Lucius, Professor Slughorn seemed more concerned with the state of Severus Snape (who was fine, he just had spouted antlers) then with punishing James and Sirius.

"If the boy isn't injured then why punish these two for a harmless prank?" Professor Slughorn reasoned.

"But Professor, they were creeping around the dungeons well past the curfew for first year students." Narcissa said in an effort to get the boys in trouble for something.

"I suppose so," Professor Slughorn conceded. "5 points from Gryffindor each then, for being out too late. Now get to bed boys."

As soon as James and Sirius were out of earshot they started discussing their good fortune.

"It's a good thing Slughorn likes us." Sirius said.

"Yeah," James agreed. "Did you see Narcissa's face when Slughorn said what we did was harmless?"

"I've seen that look directed to me way to many times."

--

Dear Mother, Father, and Regulus,

School is going magnificently. Had a lovely conversation with Narcissa last night, and it makes me wonder why we don't chat more often. Her boyfriend is a wonderfully pleasant chap, have you met him?

James snatched the letter out of Sirius's hands and read through it. "I wouldn't exactly call last night's conversation 'lovely.' Do you really think they'll buy this?"

"Probably not, but at least she can't yell at me for not writing."

"But you lied, won't she get mad about that."

"True, but I honestly don't care. Now give that back so I can finish it."

Classes are wonderful. I am learning so much. We get tons of homework and sometimes I feel like that's all I ever do.

James snorted. "That's all you ever do, eh? I must be missing these secret study sessions."

"Shut up."

I hope everyone is well at home, and I hope to hear back soon.

Love,  
Sirius Black

"Is there a reason why you signed your whole name?"

"Why are you reading my letter home anyway?"

"They aren't going to believe a word you said, mate. It's a waste of ink and parchment. You may as well have dumped that bottle of ink over Snivellus's head and then thrown paper bits at him."

"That's a brilliant idea James! Let's do it."

"It will just take some planning, we don't want to get caught by Narcissa again. She might take us to McGonagall now that she knows Slughorn won't punish us."

"Yeah. We need to find a way to get Narcissa and Lucius far away. But how?" The two boys sat contemplating this for a while.

--

What do you think they are thinking so hard about?" Lily asked, completely interrupting what Chrissy had been saying.

"What?" The three girls said in unison.

"Potter and Black. They look like they're up to something. I wonder what it is, probably some horribly cruel prank."

"Lily, its not your place to care or to punish so just drop it." Adrianne said, a little more snippy then she meant. The other three girls stared at Adrianne like she had something coming out of her nose. Jena and Chrissy couldn't believe the tone Adrianne had taken with her best friend.

"Excuse me." Lily said, hoping she had heard wrong.

"Sorry Lily, it's just that, well you tend to obsess over what James is doing. And for someone who claims to be completely indifferent to him you seem to notice what he does and awful lot."

"What do you mean by that Adrianne?"

"I don't know. I'm only eleven and I'm just making an observation."

"Well if you were implying that you think I fancy him or something you're mad!" Lily stormed off toward the girls' staircase leaving behind her friends.

"That was interesting." Jena said, breaking the tension that had formed around the remaining trio.

"You could say that again." Chrissy said.

"That wa-"

"Please don't." Adrianne said.

The girls sat in silence for a bit longer before Adrianne noticed Remus leaving the common room and went to join him.

"Hey Remus, where are you going?" Adrianne asked once she caught up with him.

Remus held up a letter and said, "Owlery. Want to come?"

"Sure." The pair walked to the Owlery in almost complete silence. Unlike most silences, this one was anything but awkward. Remus and Adrianne seemed to have become such natural friends.

They made it to the Owlery without any distractions, and Remus found a school owl to use to send home.

"How is your mother doing?" Adrianne asked as they watched the owl fly away.

"Huh, oh, she's doing pretty well for now, but her illness goes in stages. Sometimes she seems almost healthy and other times it's like we're going to lose her at any moment. That's when I go home."

"Oh, what's wrong with her?"

"I'm not really sure what it's called but it's really rare."

"Oh. Do you think they will find a cure?"

"Doubt it." Remus seemed to shut down with this statement.

"We can always have hope. I'm not really religious but I will pray for her if you'd like."

"I'm sure she—she'd appreciate that Adrianne."

--

A/N: Ok, so this was a long one, but this story is going to cover a long time and I am anxious to get to the later years quickly. Now that I have set up the characters and their relationships with each other, if anyone would be interested in cowritting this with me, I could really use the help. Or even if you don't want to do any writing but helping me brainstorm ideas, especially for the early Hogwarts years. I have a good idea where this story is going (besides the obvious!) but getting there is going to be tough. Apply through comments, and if you could give me an email address or aim screen name so I can contact you for details, that would be great. Whomever I chose gets to read the end chapters (just so you can help me get from A to B) so be sure you want to know the ending before you read the in-between when applying. Please review! Don't make me beg!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way of passing boring summer nights, and I'm sure eventually it will become another way for me to procrastinate once school starts up again. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners


	11. A Haunted Holiday

A Haunted Holiday

_I was working in the lab late one night  
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight  
For my monster from his slab began to rise  
And suddenly to my surprise  
__-"The Monster Mash" Bobby Pickett_

The Halloween feast was spectacular. The great Hall had been decorated with hundreds of floating pumpkins carved into jack-o-lanterns. Live bats were flying around the ceiling rafters, occasionally swooping down and scaring the occasional first year. The ghosts had formed a haunted chorus and were screeching horrible sounding music, although it really couldn't be classified as music more as a sound.

The food was magnificent. There were so many different dishes. It was more festive than the Welcoming feast had been, and there was a lot of candy thrown onto the tables.

When the food had been cleared, the Gryffindor first years headed back to their dormitories, although they did not sleep.

--

In the girls' room, Jena, Chrissy, Lily, and Adrianne were exchanging ghost stories they had heard.

--

Ironically enough, they boys were doing the same thing in their room. Sirius started.

"It was a clear night just like this. The moon was a retreating crescent in the starry sky when the hooked man"

"A hooked man?" James interrupted.

"Yes, a man with a hooked hand, or more like a hook in place of a hand."

"Then call it that."

"Don't interrupt my story Potter."

"Sorry."

"Sssh!" Peter hissed.

"Thanks Pete, mate. Now to continue…The moon was a retreating crescent in the start sky when _a man with a hooked hand_ crept slowly through the shadows toward the school. The castle doors creaked open with the touch of his silver hook. He slipped through the small opening, and ducked into one or the shadowy corners of the Entrance Hall."

--

"And then he slithered slowly up the marble staircase toward where the students would be sleeping." Jena said, in her creepiest voice.

"Slithered? Humans can't slither up stairs." Lily said.

"I didn't make up the words. This is how Frank told me." Jena clarified. "Anyway, so the hooked man made his was through the dark shadowy halls toward the Gryffindor common room."

"Why the Gryffindor common room? Hufflepuff is closer." Chrissy asked.

"I don't know. He's a crazy murderer with a hook for a hand. Maybe he knows where the Gryffindor common room is and nobody else's. Now stop interrupting me!"

--

"He stood perplexed-"

"Perplexed, good word mate." James interrupted.

"Thanks mate, but it wasn't mine. Anyway, back to the story. He stood perplexed at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common room, not knowing the password. He poked the Fat Lady with the point of his hooked hand and she awoke with a scream. It was muffled by the sound of ripping canvas. Once the Fat Lady was no more, the man with a hooked hand was at a loss of ways to get into the common room, so he waited."

--

"Much to his delight a small girl came out of the common room shortly after he settled himself in the dark corner."

"What corner? There is no corner. And why would some girl be leaving the common room in the dead of night?"

"Shut up Lily!" Jena, Chrissy, and Adrianne shouted together.

Jena continued on with her story, ignoring all of Lily's questions. "As the girl walked past him, in a sleepy haze, he grabbed onto her arm with his hooked hand. With his actual hand, he covered her mouth so she couldn't scream."

--

"And then he used his hooked hand to slit her neck. Once she went limp he dropped her onto the shadows and crept through the now open portrait hole."

"Why didn't it swing back closed when the girl walked out?" Remus asked.

"Because the Fat Lady is gone, remember! Anyway, he crept into the darkened common room and made his way toward the girls' staircase. His foot was inches from the surface when he remembered the cruel booby trap on the girls' staircase."

"There's a booby-trap on the girls' staircase?" James asked in shock.

"I'm getting there." Sirius said. "Wait patiently my friend."

--

"So he decided to turn around and go for the boys' side. He passed up the first door, labeled 'Seventh Years' and moved on until he found 'First Years.' The door squeaked open, alerting the sleeping boys to their intruder. The boys shot up from their slumber to see nothing."

"Where did he go?" Lily asked. The other three girls just gave her a look.

--

"The without any warning, the man with the hooked hand jumped out of the shadows and killed them all with his hooked hand. He left their blood soaked and mangled bodies lying where they boys had died and made his way to the next room."

"Not one of them got away? Even if they were ambushed its still only one on at least four. We could take on some crazed hooked murderer." James said.

"I thought he wasn't hooked." Remus pointed out.

James threw his pillow at him, which was thrown right back.

--

"He killed the entire male Gryffindor population without anyone outside being alerted at all."

"He got the whole tower without anyone hearing any screams. Incredibly unbelievable." Lily said.

"Yeah, he's fast. Now let me finish." Jena said. "In the morning, a seventh year girl went to wake up her boyfriend and found his and four other mangled bodies lying in pools of scarlet red blood. Upon further inspection, they discovered the entire house had been attacked, leaving nothing but the Gryffindor girls in the tower. They never found the hooked man, and only the fat lady could give a viable description as all the other witnesses were dead."

"Wow Jena, is this a true story?" Asked Adrianne when she was sure it was over.

"Frank says it is, which doesn't mean much, but it's still pretty scary."

"Yeah it is."

--

"That story was so lame Black." James whined when Sirius was finished with the story.

"That's only because you kept interrupting at the good parts. Anyway, it's your turn so let's see if you can top it."

"My story will have you wetting you knickers."

"Then get on with it."

'I am, I am."

--

"Ok, who's next?" Jena asked.

"I've got nothing." Adrianne said, forfeiting storytelling rights.

"Lily?"

"Ok. Have any of you ever read any Poe?"

"Huh?" The three girls asked confused.

"He's an American poet and author from the 1840s who wrote a lot of scary stories. One of my favorites it "The Tell Tale Heart" but I'm going to share one my mum read to me once on Halloween years ago. It's called "The Masque of the Red Death."" Lily went over to her trunk and pulled out a thick leather bound book. After seeing the looks of her friends she said, "It's the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe, and yes I brought it with me to school. Ok, so here it goes…

"The "Red Death" had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal --the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.

"But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death."

"It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad, that the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends at a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence.

"It was a voluptuous scene, that masquerade. But first let me tell of the rooms in which it was held. There were seven --an imperial suite. In many palaces, however, such suites form a long and straight vista, while the folding doors slide back nearly to the walls on either hand, so that the view of the whole extent is scarcely impeded. Here the case was very different; as might have been expected from the duke's love of the bizarre. The apartments were so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite. These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue --and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange --the fifth with white --the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue. But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet --a deep blood color. Now in no one of the seven apartments was there any lamp or candelabrum, amid the profusion of golden ornaments that lay scattered to and fro or depended from the roof. There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or candle within the suite of chambers. But in the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that protected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room. And thus were produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances. But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all.

"It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to hearken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before.

"But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel. The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decora of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not.

"He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fete; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm --much of what has been since seen in "Hernani." There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these --the dreams --writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away --they have endured but an instant --and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments.

"But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who revelled. And thus, too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise --then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust.

"In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation. In truth the masquerade license of the night was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod, and gone beyond the bounds of even the prince's indefinite decorum. There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made. The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revelers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood --and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror.

"When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (which with a slow and solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain its role, stalked to and fro among the waltzers) he was seen to be convulsed, in the first moment with a strong shudder either of terror or distaste; but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage.

""Who dares?" he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him --"who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him --that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!"

"It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly --for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand.

"It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. But from a certain nameless awe with which the mad assumptions of the mummer had inspired the whole party, there were found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded, he passed within a yard of the prince's person; and, while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from the centers of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple --through the purple to the green --through the green to the orange --through this again to the white --and even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him. It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry --and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning the wild courage of despair, a throng of the revelers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave-cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form.

"And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all."

"Wow, that's really, intense." Adrianne said in awe of the story Lily had just read them.

"Yeah, you should read some of Poe's other works. He's really amazing. And I'm surprised none of you interrupted me."

"That's because you were the only interrupter in my story." Jena joked. Lily threw a pillow at her. Jena threw it back but missed and hit Adrianne. Adrianne threw the pillow back at Jena, starting an all out pillow fight. After their pillows had been strewn all over the room, the girls sat back down to finish their stories. Unfortunately nobody could think of a story to tell so the girls continued to play. Jena and Chrissy had started knocking into each other with pillows, trying to knock the other over. They called it pillow-sumo wrestling.

--

"You're killing us James, stop pacing and just tell us the story." Peter whined.

"Ok, ok, I'm starting. Are you sure you're ready for it?"

"Yes!" The other three shouted in unison.

"Ok, it all started on a full moon." James said dramatically. Remus winced. "What's the matter Lupin, you scared already?"

"No, I just, got a shiver." Remus said, thinking quickly of a cover for his flinch.

"Right. Anyway, it was the night of a full moon. The full moon is the night when all the weirdoes and demons come out. Children are warned not to leave the safety of their homes and parents' protection on the night of a full moon, but one little boy didn't listen. He heard the stories of what happens on a full moon, he got curious. As the mood broadened into the full sphere, the boy packed a knapsack and got ready to explore the horrors of the full moon. He snuck out of the house while his mother was cleaning up after dinner and his father was smoking in his study. The boy"

"Does he have a name?" Asked Peter.

"No, so the boy"

"Can we give him a name?"

"No. The boy crept out the front"

"Why not?"

"Because that's the way the story goes. Do you want me to call him Peter?"

"No."

"Ok, then stop asking about the name. So the boy crept out the front door and down the stoop. He reached the end of the street and felt a wave of relief wash over him. He made it this far, what else could happen? He wasn't sure what to do, so he decided to go to the little park at the end of his street. He had been there many times in daylight and knew the place pretty well. He set his knapsack down so that it was resting on the support pole for the swings. He climbed onto the nearest swing and started swing, so high he felt like the starts were just out of his reach. The out of nowhere came—" James crumpled an old candy wrapper laying under his bed. Remus and Peter both jumped at the sound. "Wow Lupin, I expected this from Pete, but not you." James said. "Anyway, the sound. The boy got scared and stopped pumping his legs so eventually he was level with the ground again. The noise came again, and it sounded very close. The boy got off the swing and headed for the monkey bars nearby. At least there he would be off the ground and out of reach of any animals. He climbed to the top and stared across the park, trying to catch a glimpse of anything, a slight movement in the shadows, a gleaming pair of eyes, anything. The without warning—" James crumpled the paper, louder and longer this time. "It was approaching him, and the boy couldn't see it anywhere. His heart was racing. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, telling him to run, to get out. The boy jumped off the monkey bars and ran, faster than he ever had in his life. The noise picked up speed and was soon joined by a soft thud" and James patted the floor along with the noise of the wrapper. "Soon the noise was right behind the boy. He tripped on a stick and fell onto his face. When he rolled over, he saw a beastly monster staring him in the eyes. He was found the next morning, his body so mangled it was beyond recognition. They had to use the dental records from one small tooth to identify him as the young boy who went missing the previous night. To this day, on the full moon, the sounds of the boy running from the noise—" and he crinkled the wrapper and thudded on the floor "can be heard from the park." James completed his story and looked at his three friends. Peter look ready to wet himself, all the color had drained from Remus's face but he looked calm, and Sirius looked amused.

"That wasn't all that scary." Sirius said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Y-yes i-it wa-was Ja-James." Peter said shaking.

"Don't wet yourself over it Pete. I doubt you'll ever be in Ottery St. Catchpole."

"I-I live in Ot-Ottery St. Catch-Catchpole." Peter squeaked. James chuckled to Sirius.

"Sorry mate. Stay away from that park on the full moon then." James said through laughter.

"Peter, he's just giving you a hard time. It's just an urban legend, a story told to scare people, but they aren't true." Remus said calmly to Peter. It didn't seem to help much, especially since that night Peter slept with a light on inside of his curtains all night.

--

The girls continued their sumo wrestling until they all collapsed on the floor. As they lay panting on the pile of pillows and blankets in the center of the room, they continued to exchange storied although now they were all a lot less scary and a lot shorter. Adrianne told stories of the chateau her grandfather owned and the history of it. She even added a few ghosts even though it was a lie. Chrissy was convinced that her bedroom at home was haunted by the ghost of an old lady who died there years ago after her husband found her in bed with another man. They fell asleep well past 2 am lying haphazardly on the floor at the center of the room.

--

A/N: Wow that was a fun chapter to write. I was going to use Poe's "Tell Tale Heart" but I figured a lot of people have heard it so I went with something different. "The Masque of the Red Death" was something I read for my 10th grade English class, 11th grade (I think) and now my college Creative Writing class, and I thought it fit pretty well. Now I have freaked myself out searching for urban legends (and then ultimately making my own up). Hope you all aren't as freaked as I am. I did make up the other two stories and if they are similar to something you have read somewhere it was purely accidental, I just want to get that out there. Oh and just to clarify, James said that his story took place in Ottery St. Catchpole because he knew it would scare Peter, and I thought that it made sense for Peter to grow up near where the Weasleys live if that's where he ends up in rat form years later. Oh and the song doesn't fit that well but I couldn't think of any creepy songs so I went with the Halloween classic "Monster Mash" because, well it rocks! Odds are if there are any other just Halloween chapters in the future I will use a different part of this same song, so look out for it! Please Review and let me know how I am doing...I haven't gotten reviews since Lily's chapter which was (I believe) chapter 4. So seriously, read and review for my sanities sake (i'm really losing it...its November 11th and I am listening to Christmas music...) Also The offer still stands for a co-writter or something of that sort because honestly I am having so much trouble with the here and now of my story, and after Christmas I have nothing until about 5th year, and even that is half a chapter. So if you want updates please please please offer me suggestions! Thanks!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way to procrastinate on doing my homework. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners. I also have no rights to the Edgar Allen Poe story and am making no money off of its use.


	12. The Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before the Storm

_And god only knows all the places I've been  
But I love this life that I'm living in  
I wont look back to regret yesterday  
we're not handed tomorrow so I'll live for today_

_-"Live for Today" 3 Doors Down_

Lily was the first to awake in the girls' dormitory. At first she was confused because she was sleeping on the floor, and Adrianne was using her left arm as a pillow instead of the actual pillow she had her feet on. Lily carefully rearranged Adrianne so that her head was now on the pillow and went to the bathroom. After showering and getting dressed, Lily went back into the dormitory and found that her three dormmates had not moved since she had left them. Not wanting them to miss breakfast, Lily started tapping them trying to wake them. Adrianne woke pretty quickly, but Jena and Chrissy had to be violently shaken before they woke up.

Once all the girls were dressed and ready, they went down to breakfast together.

--

Peter poked his head out of his bed periodically, to make sure nothing was sneaking around that shouldn't be. Once the sun had risen, Peter climbed out of his bed and got dressed. He hurried downstairs into the well-lit common room to wait for the other three to wake up.

--

James heard Peter move about the room, and watched unnoticed by the boy through a crack in his bed hangings. When Peter was downstairs, he walked over to Sirius's bed and woke him up.

"Wha—James! What did you wake me up for?" Sirius shouted, waking Remus up.

James held a finger to his mouth and hissed "ssh." Sirius complied.

The boys crept down the staircase to the common room, where they saw Peter sitting near the fire facing the portrait hole.

--

Peter kept looking over his shoulder, hoping nothing would sneak up on him. When he was looking toward the girl's staircase, James, Sirius, and Remus snuck down the stairs and crawled across the room to where Peter was sitting nervously. Remus barely made it behind the couch when Peter turned and looked at the exact spot the boys had just been crawling.

After peter completed his scan of the room, he relaxed into the chair. Just as he was settling into his thoughts of the previous night when Sirius jumped from behind the chair screaming.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Peter screamed jumping out of the chair faster then anyone had ever seen him move.

James, Sirius, and Remus started laughing, along with the few other students who were sitting in the common room at the time. Peter's face was bright red.

"What did you do that for?" Peter shouted, still shaking slightly.

Sirius put on a face of innocence and said, "Do what?" Behind him James chuckled. Remus looked less than amused.

"You jumped out behind me to scare me." Peter said.

"There you have it, I did it to scare you. Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?" Sirius said, diverting attention away from his actions.

Peter looked confused as he tried to figure out what Sirius had said.

"Listen, Pete, don't hurt yourself trying to figure that out. Let's go to breakfast." Sirius said, putting his arm on Peter's shoulders.

Peter forgot all about the episode in the common room by the time he started eating. James, Remus, and Sirius however, did not. The three boys laughed about Peter's girly scream the rest of the day.

--

The first quidditch game of the school year was held the Saturday after Halloween. Gryffindor was playing Ravenclaw, the two best teams in the school at the time. It was said to be the biggest game of the season. James and Sirius dragged Remus away from his books down to the match, and of course Peter tagged along. They got down to the pitch as early as they could so they could get great seats.

--

Lily and Adrianne had no intentions of going to the game, but Jena and Chrissy made them come. The girls found seats not far from James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus.

--

The game started off with the captains shaking hands and then Madame Hooch release the balls and the game began.

Ravenclaw scored first, but the Gryffindor chasers fired up and quickly scored three goals in a matter of five minutes. The seekers were marking each other, circling the field from above. A few times one of the seekers would surge forward but come up with nothing.

Ravenclaw scored again, and on the next play Gryffindor scored. It was a close and fast paced game.

The score was tied 80-80 when the Gryffindor seeker dived for something at the base of the Ravenclaw goal posts. The Ravenclaw seeker quickly matched this action, but was too far behind. The Gryffindor section of the stands erupted with cheers as the seeker Roger McClain landed with the snitch in hand.

--

"Wow, who knew sports could be so fun!" Adrianne said to her friends as they walked back to the castle.

"See, aren't you glad we dragged you away from your precious books for a little fresh air?" Jena asked.

"Yeah." Adrianne answered. Lily didn't look quite as amused.

"Sure it was fun, but nothing spectacular. It's just a bunch of people passing a ball back and forth on broomsticks." Lily said. Her words brought looks of shock and confusion from not only Jena and Chrissy, but James who was walking nearby with Sirius, Peter, and Remus.

"Nothing spectacular." James said, looking as if she had just slapped him across the face, or more likely kissed him.

Both Jena and Chrissy seemed surprised that the words didn't come out of their own mouths.

"Just because I don't like silly games—"

"Silly games!" James interrupted.

"Yes, silly games, James, and what is it to you if I don't like Quidditch. It's not like we are friends or anything." James looked too shocked to speak. Sirius grabbed him by the shoulders and led him away from the girls.

Lily shook her head and looked forward, not caring what would become of James.

"Lil, there is no need to be so harsh about Quidditch. This is our sport. It's like football in the muggle world. You don't just go around insulting it to the sport's biggest fan."

"I don't like football either, and I have never cared about insulting Potter before, why should now be any different?"

"Of course you don't like football, why doesn't that surprise me?" Chrissy said looking at Jena.

--

There was a party in the Gryffindor common room that night. Lily didn't want to stick around for it so she went upstairs to the dormitory as soon as the party got underway.

Adrianne stayed at the party for a while, talking with Remus about the game and then moving on to the subject of homework. Soon he was dragged away by James and Sirius, so Adrianne decided to call it a night and join Lily upstairs.

--

Lily was surprised when Adrianne came into the room. "I thought you'd be downstairs celebrating with everyone else." She said, not nastily but purely inquisitively.

"It got kind of dull. Besides I could think of a million other things I could be doing with my time. Want to play chess?"

The girls played four games of chess, all of which Adrianne won. Jena and Chrissy came upstairs shortly after they finished the fourth game.

--

James and Sirius were having such a great time at the party. The game had been amazing, and Gryffindor had pretty much claimed the Quidditch Cup for this year, beating the only team that had been a serious threat to them in recent years. They got deep into conversation with a few fourth years about the game, arguing about which plays were the best, and what would win the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor.

The party cooled down after midnight when Professor McGonagall came in to yell. James and Sirius brought their conversation upstairs along with Peter and Remus, who were much less involved in the game.

--

The Monday morning following the first Quidditch game of the season, James and Sirius made their way down to breakfast a little later than usual. The Great Hall was buzzing with a nervous excitement. James took a set opposite Remus, who looked paler than usual.

"What's the matter Lupin, more bad news from home?" James asked, assuming it was Remus's sick mother.

"Not exactly from home." Remus said, pointing to a copy of _The Daily Prophet_ lying on the table.

Splashed across the front page read the headline "3 Killed by Terrorists who call themselves Death Eaters" accompanied by a picture of what looked like a skull with a serpent coming out of it's mouth made of twinkling stars.

"What—" James started, too dumbstruck to complete his question.

"The Death Eaters, what a catchy name." Sirius said sarcastically. "Hey listen to this, 'Coral Gifhopt, a ministry witch who is well known for her work in muggle protection and her husband Stefano were found dead in their home along with an unknown muggle neighbor.' They really seem to be stressing the muggle part."

"What do you mean Sirius?" Remus asked.

"These Death Eaters are probably like my parents, all for the purifying of the wizarding race. Those Gifhopts were probably seen as blood traitors. I can only imagine what my parents would be saying right now."

"So you think this is really terrorism then Sirius?" Asked Jena, who had been listening in.

"I'd bet my life savings on it Jena."

"This is all so terrifying. Can I see the rest of the article?" Lily asked, joining in herself.

Sirius handed Lily the newspaper. As she scanned through the article, her face drained of color. "It says here that they were killed by a dark curse that hasn't been seen since the days of the dark wizard Grindelwald, and then goes on to talk about Grindelwald's reign of terror. Do you think someone is copying off of Grindelwald?"

"It's possible. I don't know much about him, but from I have heard things were pretty bad."

--

The news of the murders was all anyone at Hogwarts could talk about for the next week and a half. Every day _The Daily Prophet_ brought more news about the murders to the students. It had gotten to the point that Professor Dumbledore addressed the school about the attacks a week after the article was printed.

"I would like to assure you that for as long as you reside within these walls, you are all safe from whatever dangers may lay outside. The Ministry of Magic is investigating and will be sure to catch the culprits. I ask you, please to try to push these attacks from your minds and concentrate on your studies."

Naturally, after Dumbledore's speech, the school continued to buzz about the attacks, speculating what was really going on. The older students seemed to think that this wasn't a huge thing, just an isolated event. The younger students were panic-stricken, and tried desperately to contact parents. All the school owls were constantly in use by one student or another and the morning post was an explosion of feathers and wings.

--

It only took two more weeks for the gossip around Hogwarts to move on to a new topic. Soon most students had forgotten about the murder of an obscure ministry witch and her husband, and had gotten on with their normal lives.

--

The school term was rolling by pretty fast. Adrianne couldn't believe how much she had learned in three short months. She still wrote to her Grand-père regularly, and received letters back from him ever time. It seemed that in the time she was away from him, he had grown older and more distant. Adrianne was beginning to look forward to the Christmas holidays that were steadily approaching.

--

Sirius was not looking forward to the Christmas Holidays, which were rapidly approaching. He dreaded leaving the castle of Hogwarts to return to the musty old prison that was number twelve Grimmauld Place. He wished that his parents would let him stay at Hogwarts for the holiday, but knew that if he dared ask he would get yelled at. Not that he wouldn't get yelled at anyway, but it's one less thing for them to be angry with him over.

--

Lily had mixed feelings about going home. She missed her parents and sister, but she knew that Petunia would not care that she was around. Unless something drastic had happened that her parents hadn't realized, Petunia would probably either ignore her the entire break, or pick fights with her. Lily wished she could have her sister back, the sister she had before Hogwarts. But at the same time she loved what had happened with her life since she received that acceptance letter. All of her wildest fantasies had come true since that mysterious letter arrived six months earlier.

--

Chrissy and Jena made their holiday plans a whole month in advanced. Of course Chrissy would have to go home, but only for a night or so. Jean's parents wouldn't let her spend the holiday alone, especially since she always went to the Sinclair's house for Christmas tea.

--

Peter didn't want to go back to Mrs. Hagsby's house for the holiday. Now that he was older, his mother would probably make him do chores with her. He actually considered writing and telling his mother he would be staying at Hogwarts. But he didn't want to be alone at Hogwarts alone, so he reluctantly made plans with his mother to return to Mrs. Hagsby's for the holiday.

--

James love the holidays. His parents always held a party on Christmas Eve with loads of fancy guests and excellent food. James had written home early in December to ask permission to invite his school friends over for the party. Mrs. Potter told her son that would be a wonderful idea, but he had to make sure it was ok with their parents.

As soon as James found out he could have his friends over for the party, he went straight to Sirius, Remus, and Peter and begged them to ask their parents. Sirius promised he would try to show up, but also said not to count on it. His parents also had a Christmas party and he was expected to be there. Remus said he would ask his parents, but that didn't seem too promising. Peter was the only one who really seemed excited and anxious to come, something James wasn't exactly looking forward to.

--

Remus was depressed with the upcoming holiday. The full moon fell on the evening of the 24th, Christmas Eve. James had asked him to a party that same night, and oddly, Remus was actually wishing he could go. Of course Remus would have to think of some way to reject James's invitation without flat out saying "I can't because I am a werewolf and that is the night of the full moon." That wouldn't work. Maybe he could just say that his mother, his sick mother wanted to spend the holiday with her, as it could very well be her last. Yes, that would do.

--

"James," Remus called out to his friend across the common room.

"Yeah," James said walking over to where Remus was standing, holing a piece of parchment in his hand.

"I just heard back from my parents, and, er, I can't go to your party. My, er, mum is still pretty ill and they don't know how many more holidays she has left."

"Oh, ok, I understand. And uh, I hope your mum makes it to another Christmas."

"Thanks James. I hope your parent's party is fun, I really wish I could go."

"Maybe next year."

"Yeah, maybe."

--

"What are your plans for the holiday Adrianne?" Lily asked over breakfast.

"Well, I'm going back to the house in London for a few days, and then Grand-père and I will fly to the chateau in France for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning." Adrianne explained.

"I still can't get over you living in a chateau." Lily said excitedly.

"It's nothing spectacular. You should come and stay sometime."

"That would be magnificent! I've always wanted to visit France, and stay in a chateau."

"France is not much different from England really, they just speak a different language."

"Can you speak French fluently?"

"Oh yes. Grand-père taught me when I was very young. But we only speak French when we are in France."

"In school we learned some French. I couldn't speak it fluently, but I do know some of the language, as well as Latin."

"I don't know any Latin. My Grand-père home schooled me so I really only learned the general subjects, history, math, science, and of course both French and English grammar and language."

"You were home schooled? How did you make any friends?"

"I didn't. I suppose looking back now he probably did it knowing that when I was eleven I would be leaving school to come here anyway. But Hogwarts is the first school I ever really attended."

"I never knew that." Lily said softly. "Well I went to school in Surrey and it was pretty hard to leave it behind when I got my Hogwarts letter."

"Do you regret it at all?"

"Sometimes. My sister, Petunia, and I used to be the very best of friends but ever since she found out I was a witch she's been avoiding me and calling me a freak. And I miss some of my friends but mostly Alexia. She was my best friend after Petunia, and I never really got to explain to her where I was going."

"You miss her?"

"A little. But I could never tell her the things I can tell you Adrianne. You are the best friend I've ever had."

"You the best friend I've ever had too Lily, but you really are the first friend I ever had, my Grand-père excluded."

--

"Hey Remus, what are you doing for the holidays?" Adrianne asked after class one Friday afternoon.

"Going home to, er, spend time with my sick mother."

"Oh, right. Will it just be you and your parents then?"

"Yeah, just mum and dad and me."

"Same here, except instead of mum and dad its Grand-père."

"What are you doing for the holiday?"

"We'll probably stay at the house in London for a few days and then fly to the chateau in France for Christmas Eve and stay through New Year's Day."

"Chateau? Did I hear that right?"

"Oui! Grand-père owns a little chateau in the northern countryside of France. The house in London was my parents. Someday it will be mine."

"Wow, your family must be very wealthy."

"I suppose you could say that, but nothing like the wealthy I always hear about. Grand-père says all our wealth is in real estate, I think that's properties."

--

Not much work got done on the last day before the Christmas Holidays. Students were too anxious for the long break and to go home to do any work. Teachers like McGonagall and Binns tried to teach as if nothing was different, Binns succeeding but McGonagall failing miserably. James and Sirius sweet talked her into letting them off with a short lecture and no homework, which amazed the rest of the class. Many other professors had given up the hope to teach anything at all, allowing the students to play games or talk about the upcoming holiday.

--

The marauders planned a big prank at dinner the last night before the holiday. Each time one of the Slytherins tried to drink from their goblets, it would splash in their faces. Even the teachers were impressed with the magic, although everyone pretended not to know who was responsible. Professor Flitwick ended the charm after the third goblet drenched a Slytherin, who just so happened to be Lucius Malfoy.

After dinner, Lucius and Narcissa approached Sirius and James to scold them for their prank, but to the boys' luck Professor Slughorn also approached them at that very moment. They were free for the moment, although Sirius knew he would pay later.

--

Saturday morning, the students who were going home for the holidays filed out to the Hogsmead train station where they would catch the Hogwarts Express back to London.

Lily, Adrianne, Jena, and Chrissy found a compartment to sit in together, which coincidentally was directly next to the compartment James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were sitting in. The two groups left each other alone for most of the trip, but a little more than halfway to London, James couldn't resist stopping by to wish the girls a "Happy Holiday."

-

"What do you want Potter?" Lily said calmly, not even looking up at James as he entered the compartment.

"Can't a guy come and wish his classmates a Happy Christmas?" James said innocently.

"Not you," Lily answered coolly.

"That hurts Evans, that hurts right here." James said, holding his hand to his chest. Lily shot him a look that clearly showed she was not amused.

"Happy Christmas James," Adrianne said. "Now I may suggest you return to your own compartment before she gets angry. You don't want the last conversation with Lily for a long break to be with angry Lily now do you?"

"I suppose you are right Adrianne. Happy Christmas girls, Lily." James said as he bowed his way out of the compartment. He didn't dare enter again. The girls didn't see any of the boys again until they were on the platform meeting their parents, and then it was just Remus they spotted.

--

"Have a nice holiday Remus." Adrianne said as she walked pass him toward her grandfather. She didn't even notice that he was walking to his mother, who was in perfectly good health.

--

"You too Adrianne." Remus said stopping on his way to his parents, trying to avoid her noticing his mother looking positively cheerful in a festive Christmas sweater with a wide smile on her face. He waited until Adrianne had turned her attention to an old man who must be her grandfather.

--

A/N: Woo-hoo! Next Chapter is the Christmas holidays. Hope you all are enjoying this story so far. Keep reading and keep reviewing!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way to procrastinate on doing my homework. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners


	13. The First Time Back

The First Time Back

_Bells are ringing  
__It's time to scream and shout (Scream and shout)  
__And everybody's playin' cuz schools out  
__Celebrating the special times we share  
__Happiness cuz love is in the air  
__-"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" N SYNC_

Adrianne and her grandfather returned to the house in London to a dinner that had been prepared by the part-time cook Mr. Laverte employed. Over dinner, Adrianne told her grandfather stories of Hogwarts, and of classes and her friends. She explained the subjects in depth, and gave a complete description of all the students in her year, even those she barely knew.

Mr. Laverte was so glad to have Adrianne back with him that he didn't mind her rambling on and on about things he didn't understand.

After dinner, Adrianne took her trunk upstairs to her bedroom and unpacked. Waiting on her bed was a small silver box with a red ribbon tied around it. Adrianne picked it up and read the tag.

_To: Princesse Adrianne  
__From: Grand-père  
__Welcome Home!_

Adrianne opened the box carefully to find a note written in Grand-père's handwriting.

_Look in the wardrobe._

Adrianne set the note down on her bed and headed over to her wardrobe. She slowly opened the doors to find another note taped to the inside of the left door.

_Open the window, let some air in._

Adrianne thought this was unusual as it was December, but followed her Grandfather's orders anyway. She opened the window closest to the wardrobe first, but nothing extraordinary happened, so she went to the window on the other side of her bed. This time, Adrianne found another note from Grand-père.

_Come to the parlor and have some tea._

Again, Adrianne thought this was a strange message for after dinner, but she went downstairs anyway. When she opened the parlor door, she was expecting to find another note, but all that was in the room was an old tea set. Adrianne walked over to the tray, wondering if the clue was hidden within the tea set. Upon further inspection, Adrianne found nothing, except the intricate pattern on the old fashioned tea set. She decided to sit and wait, maybe Grand-père would come in and explain the wild goose chase.

Ten minutes later, Adrianne was tired of waiting, so she got up to leave. As she was reaching for the door, it opened and Grand-père entered.

"Good, you are still here. I am sorry it took me so long to meet you here, I had planned on me waiting not you, but I received an urgent call from France." Mr. Laverte explained to his granddaughter.

"An urgent call from France, is everything alright at Le Petit Chateau?" Adrianne asked.

"Oui, yes, Adrianne. Just a small problem with something I was planning there for you on Christmas. Everything is alright. Now, onto the tea set. I was cleaning the attic while you were away and I cam across this beautiful tea set you see in front of you. I had never seen it before, so I assumed it belonged to your mother at one time. I took it to a pawn shop to see if they could estimate how old it was, and with the date they gave me I would guess this tea set belonged to a grandparent or great-grandparent on you mother's side. I thought you would like to have it."

"Oh Grand-père, its lovely!" Adrianne said as she gave her grandfather a hug.

The week leading up to Christmas went by pretty quickly. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Adrianne and Mr. Laverte packed their suitcases and met the private jet that would take them to France.

The surprise Mr. Laverte had been planning for his granddaughter was a private holiday ball. He had decorated the ballroom of the chateau with tinsel, large Christmas trees, holiday lights, and green and red ribbons. At the center of the room was a box wrapped in green with a big red bow on top.

"Go on Princesse Adrianne, open it." Grand-père said, indicating the box.

Adrianne went over to the box and carefully opened it. Inside the box was a red dress and a matching red ribbon for her hair. "Merci Grand-père, merci!" Adrianne said running back to her grandfather and hugging the old man.

Adrianne changed into the dress her grandfather had given her, and once she was ready she went back downstairs to the ballroom. Grand-père had changed into a formal tuxedo and was waiting for her on the dance floor. Christmas music was playing from the old fashioned record player.

Adrianne and her grandfather twisted and twirled until they were dizzy and out of breath. They laid on the floor, panting until the ballroom stopped spinning.

It was getting late, so Grand-père made Adrianne go to bed. When she woke up the next day, it was Christmas.

Presents were exchanged, and then Adrianne and Grand-père had Christmas tea. After eating, Grand-père surprised Adrianne yet again. Waiting in the ballroom was Miss Burr, holding a large box for Adrianne.

"Happy Christmas, Adrianne." She said with a smile on her face.

"Happy Christmas Miss Burr."

"Here, I got something for you." Miss Burr handed Adrianne the box, which Adrianne set on the floor and opened carefully.

Inside the box was a beautiful, hand knitted scarf in the Gryffindor colors.

"Oh, Miss Burr, it's beautiful. Thank you so much."

"When we were in school, your mother and I taught ourselves to knit by magic. We both had matching scarves just like this, and I thought maybe you would want one too."

"Was my mother in Gryffindor then too?"

"Yes she was."

Adrianne and Miss Burr continued to talk about Miss Burr and Adrianne's mother's school days while Grand-père looked on.

Miss Burr came to visit a few times before Adrianne and Grand-père returned to London on New Year's Day.

Soon it was time for Adrianne to return to Hogwarts for the rest of the school term. Miss Burr stopped by the day before she had to get back to King's Cross to say goodbye, and wish her a good term.

Adrianne was glad to be getting back to Hogwarts, but she was also upset to be leaving her grandfather. He seemed so happy to have her home again, and so sad to see her leave.

--

Sirius's parents didn't pick him up from the train station. He found a cab that took him to Number 13 Grimmauld Place because the cab driver would never find number 12.

He made it all the way into his bedroom before anyone noticed him being home. When he opened his door, a loud creak came from it and his mother started screaming. He was barely home five minutes and already getting yelled at, but that was no surprise.

Sirius went downstairs to see what his mother wanted. To Sirius's unpleasant surprise, his aunt, uncle and two cousins were in the drawing room along with his mother, father, and brother.

Sirius let out a silent groan when his eyes met those of Narcissa's. Obviously she hadn't forgotten about the prank.

He tried to avoid eye contact with anyone in the room from then on, only looking up when directly spoken to. It was clear in the look on Mrs. Black's face that Sirius would have to sit this out.

After a few minutes a house elf came in to announce dinner. Sirius silently followed his family into the dinning room, staying a few steps behind the pack. He took his seat next to Regulus at the table, directly across from Narcissa. _Great,_ he though. _Have to remember to be nice to her the last week of term._

Dinner was very unpleasant. Sirius was never addressed directly, and he never spoke. Anytime he caught Narcissa or Bellatrix's eyes, he was met with a horrible glare, the sort of glare only a Black could produce.

As soon as Sirius was allowed to leave the dinner table, he darted upstairs and into his room. He didn't want to risk Narcissa or Bellatrix, or even Regulus following him upstairs, and cornering him. He just wanted to be alone or at least away from his horrible family.

He sat down on his bed, and stared at the wall. He wondered what James was doing right now, and if he was having fun.

Christmas was an unpleasant affair in the Black household. Sirius had to get all dressed up, and then together the family went to Aunt Elladora and Uncle Aidan's house.

Sirius sat off to the side, counting down the minutes until they would be leaving. Presents were exchanged, and Sirius was forced to be appreciative.

Drinks were served, and the parents got pretty drunk. Narcissa took this as an opportunity to confront Sirius. He tried to run for it, but being away from home, he had nowhere to go.

"Cute little trick you boys played at dinner the other day." Narcissa said in a tone of mock sweetness.

"Cute? It was bloody brilliant." Sirius said, figuring he was going to get yelled at anyway, why not make it all worth it.

"You watch yourself Sirius, you're going to find yourself in quite a bit of trouble with one of your _pranks_, and you won't have me to bail you out on it."

"Oh yes, because you have always been such a help before."

Narcissa looked for a second like she was going to slap him, but changed her mind. "Next time I'll let Lucius deal with you on his own terms." Narcissa left Sirius to think about what she had said. Sirius had never really considered it, that Narcissa was keeping Lucius in line, but what was he going to do, beat him up? The thought seemed almost laughable. But then, Lucius was a sixth year, and if he was anything like Sirius family, he probably knew a load of dark curses to throw at him. Sirius made a mental note to try and stay clear of Narcissa and Lucius, but not the rest of the Slytherins.

Sirius managed to stay clear of his family the rest of the night. And the rest of the holiday. In fact, Sirius rarely saw or heard from his family for the remainder of his time at 12 Grimmauld Place. Soon enough, it was time to catch the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross station.

--

Petunia was less than welcoming to Lily when she arrived home. The sisters didn't exchange more than two words with each other before Christmas Day arrived. Mr. and Mrs. Evans tried everything, but something about their bond had broken.

Two nights before Christmas, Mrs. Evans came upstairs only to hear her youngest daughter crying. She knocked softly on Lily's door, and then opened it.

"Lily, sweetie, what's wrong?" She asked her youngest daughter.

"No-nothing, Mum." Lily said, trying to cover up her tears. Mrs. Evans didn't believer her, and came over to sit next to Lily on the bed. She put her arm around the young girl, and held her until Lily started to cry again. Mrs. Evans rubbed Lily's back and held her in her arms until the tears stopped flowing.

When Lily had stopped crying, Mrs. Evans again asked her, "What's wrong?"

Lily sighed and started to explain how she didn't understand Petunia's change in attitude toward her since getting her Hogwarts letter, and wished she could have her sister back. After she had exhausted the subject of Petunia she started to tell her mother about Adrianne, and how she was the best friend a girl could ever want, and how much she missed her. When she was one talking, Lily felt much better. It seemed she just needed to get her thoughts out into words, and her mother was the perfect outlet for that. Together, the Evans girls went downstairs to bake cookies.

On Christmas Eve, the Evans family went caroling with a few of their neighbors. It was a tradition that the same few families had been doing for years, and Lily was glad to be doing it once more. At least some things hadn't changed in the past few months. Alexia's family was one of the families caroling, so Lily got to catch up with her old friend. Of course she couldn't be entirely truthful, but she still shared stories slightly edited to Alicia's Muggle ears.

After the carolers had made their rounds, they went back to Alexia's house for hot chocolate and desserts. The families shared holiday blessings and at the end of the night returned to their own homes for the night.

Christmas morning in the Evans family is usually a very family oriented time, but with the two girls not on speaking terms, that was difficult to do. Mr. and Mrs. Evans did everything they could to untie their daughters, even if it was only for one day. Lily was all for dropping the grudge held between herself and Petunia, but the eldest Evans girl would not budge. She could barely stand to be in the same room as Lily, and refused to look at her sister when she was forced into the same room. It was as if Petunia was afraid of catching some horrible disease from her sister, and to Petunia, witchcraft was a horrible disease.

The family made it through Christmas Tea without any major mishaps. Petunia made a few snide remarks at Lily, but to her parent's surprise, Lily didn't seem to react to these comments.

By the end of the holiday, Lily felt more isolated from her family than she had ever imagined was possible. She almost felt relieved to be going back to Hogwarts, almost. When it came time to catch the train, Lily said goodbye to Petunia (which was met with a grunt and her leaving the room) and then got into her dad's car. Along with her parents, Lily made her way to London, where she would meet the train that would take her back to the place that had become a second home to her the past few months.

--

Most of James's holiday was spent cleaning the house with his mother for the big party. Everytime James saw an opening, he would try to sneak away, but his mum was too quick for him. She would just pile five or six more jobs on him so that he was busy the rest of the afternoon.

Finally it was the day of the big party. Mrs. Potter sent her son upstairs to take a bath. James meandered in his bedroom for a while, until his mother yelled at him up the stairs.

"I don't hear any water running James!"

"I'm starting it right now, Mum." He yelled back. James was now forced to take a bath. He filled up the tub with steamy hot water, and climbed in. He splashed around and did anything but pick up the bar of soap laying nearby. Like mothers always seem to do, Mrs. Potter came up to check on her son, and saw he was taking a leisurely dip, she scolded him and then started to scrub him down. James tried to fight and cried out that he would wash himself, but Mrs. Potter wouldn't let him weasel out of it.

When James was cleaned to Mrs. Potter's liking, she sent him off to his bedroom to get dressed in the dress robes she had bought him. James looked at the fancy robes laying on his bed, and then longing at his wardrobe which was stuffed full of Quidditch robes, and plain robes, and Muggle clothes.

James reluctantly got dressed in the outfit his mother had picked out for him, and then went downstairs to see if any guests had arrived.

To James's great displeasure, Peter was there. For the rest of the night, James had to endure Peter's constant presence. At the food table, talking with the other guests, eating again, boasting about anything he could think of, dessert, and of course his lame attempts at dancing.

"Hey, Pete, why don't you go and grab us some, er, butterbeers?" James said, hoping to get rid of his schoolmate.

"Ok," Peter said cheerfully, and set off toward where the drinks were being served. As soon as James was out of his sight, James took off, and didn't look back. He was free, for a little while at least.

He found Frank Longbottom talking to another boy that James recognized from school, and went to join them. The two fourth year students tried to ignore James, but he wouldn't give up. Anything to break up the monotony of hanging around with Peter.

The two boys walked away while James was looking away, and he was left alone, but not for long.

"James! James! I got you a butterbeer!" Peter yelled from somewhere behind James. He turned around slowly to find Peter standing there with two bottles of butterbeer, one empty and one full.

James accepted the butterbeer, and his fate, and stuck with Peter the rest of the night. James was extremely happy when Mrs. Pettigrew arrived to take Peter away. Unfortunately, most of the party was already breaking up, so it was just James and his parents' most intimate friends, none of which had children or anything interesting to say to an 11-year-old boy. James decided there was nothing keeping him at the party, so he went upstairs to his bedroom and fell asleep, still wearing his dress robes.

James woke up the next morning to find a pile of presents waiting for him. He loved Christmas. It was the only day of the year his parents showered him with presents for no reason. At least on his birthday it was a personal milestone, but Christmas, it was just a present giving holiday.

Another great thing about Christmas is that his mother always goes above and beyond the normal meal for Christmas dinner. She cooks ham and roast chicken, and potatoes, and corn, and carrots, and peas and sprouts (not one of his favorites) and stews, and for dessert she makes trifle, and chocolate éclairs, and rice pudding, and custard tart, and cake.

James ate more food than he ever should have, and there were still plenty of leftovers. Mrs. Potter packed up a little bit of everything, and stored it in the ice box, and then prepared the rest for donation to a local homeless shelter. This was the part of Christmas that James hated. His mother and father always dragged him to the shelter with them, where he would have to watch all the starved and homeless people in their rags fight over his leftovers. The leftovers he wanted for himself. The one time James tried to tell his mother this, she scolded him for being so selfish. She said, "How could you dare be upset that I am giving away Christmas leftovers when your stomach is filled with delicious food? There are people who haven't had a Christmas dinner at all." James felt really horrible after his mother yelled at him that year.

After the family's charitable activity, they settle down in front of the fire with hot chocolate until James falls asleep.

After Christmas, the holidays fly by. Soon it is time for James to get back to school via the Hogwarts Express.

--

Remus wasn't exactly looking forward to Christmas. For one thing, the full moon happened to fall on December 24th this year, Christmas Eve. Unless by some Christmas miracle, Remus were to make it through the full moon with no injuries, the entire holiday would be ruined for him. His mother assured him that they would celebrate Christmas whenever he was feeling better, and even offered to allow him to invite his friends over. Remus didn't have the heart to tell her that all of his friends thought that she was on her deathbed and that it would look very strange for them to see her up and about and looking healthier than Remus.

On Christmas Eve, Remus prepared himself for the full moon in the same way he used to before Hogwarts. His mother locked him into the spare bedroom, where he could smash the furniture all he wanted, and then sat outside. Tonight, she had a whole list of Christmas carols to sing to her son, hoping the monster would be calmed by the holiday spirit.

Inside the locked bedroom, Remus tried to concentrate on his mother's voice. It had been so long since he had heard her singing that it came as a very welcoming sound. He was able to keep the wolf at bay, and be almost himself.

When morning arrived, Remus felt better than he ever had after a full moon. He enjoyed the holiday with his mother and father.

The Lupin family never had much money, so their Christmases were never very extravagant, but for them it was all about family. Mrs. Lupin would cook a delicious meal, and they would all exchange presents, and sing carols by the fire. At the end of the night, Remus went to bed, and fell asleep almost instantly, dreaming about all the things little boys dream about on Christmas.

For the remainder of the holiday, Mrs. Lupin kept trying to convince Remus to meet up with his friends. She would tell him that he needed to be more social, and that he would be sorry once he got back to school that he spent the entire holiday with his mother. Remus replied to that by saying that he sees his friends everyday at school, and only sees his mother on holidays. He still wasn't ready to say that they thought she was dying.

Finally came the day Remus was supposed to catch the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross station in London. His mother was, ironically, feeling ill that day so Mr. Lupin took Remus alone.

--

Chrissy's parents weren't at the train station. Of course she really didn't expect them to be, but it still hurt. She had been gone for three months, and her parents couldn't even meet her at the train station. Jena's parents took her home, but it was empty and locked up. Jena suggested that she come over for a while, and although her parents seemed a bit skeptical, they allowed it.

Chrissy didn't go home again until Christmas Eve. Her parents had come home, so Chrissy was able to get into the house. Jena came along with her, and the girls stayed until near midnight when Mr. Sinclair came to get Jena. Jena begged her father to bring Chrissy home too, and after checking with Chrissy's parents, he agreed.

That Christmas was the best Christmas the girls had ever had. They exchanged presents, told stories, roasted marshmallows, sang carols, and drank hot chocolate. Chrissy had never had a Christmas like this, surrounded by the closet thing to family she ever knew. She almost didn't want to go to sleep that night, afraid that she would wake up and it would all have been a dream.

Luckily, when Chrissy woke up the next morning, she realized it had not all been a dream. She was in Jena's room, sleeping on the spare bed, with Jena sleeping just a few feet away.

The girls spent the rest of the holiday together, something Jena's parents thought was funny because they were together at school. This didn't matter to the girls. They were best friends, and loved doing everything together.

Chrissy only went home once more before the holiday was over, and she brought Jena with her. As usual, Mr. and Mrs. Valwick didn't notice their daughter and her friend. Chrissy tried to let it nor bother her, but deep down it hurt. She didn't understand why her parents didn't care. Jena sensed this and tried to make it better, but she couldn't. Some things just can't be fixed by a friend.

They day arrived when the girls had to get back to school, and Chrissy was glad to be leaving.

--

The highlight of Peter's holiday was going to James's party. He couldn't wait for the night to come where he could escape Mrs. Hagsby's house. Not that he didn't like her house, because he did, it was just boring because there was no one his age to play with.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, Peter woke up extra early to get ready. He took a long bath and washed his hair and behind his ears. The he took extra care in brushing his hair and teeth, and picked out his nicest set of robes. He was ready to go about five hours before the party was set to start.

At 5:30, Mrs. Hagsby instructed Mrs. Pettigrew to call for her car to take them to the Potter's house. Mrs. Pettigrew accompanied her son on the short drive, which was made shorter by the magical nature of the driver and the car.

Peter arrived at the party shortly after many of the other guests had arrived. He found James immediately and stuck by his side the entire night. Peter wished that Remus and Sirius could have come too. He wasn't really that great of friends with James, and didn't want follow him around all night like a lost puppy. But he did, because James was the only person at the party that Peter knew.

The boys spent a lot of time at the food table, Peter piling as much food onto his plate as he could fit. James would laugh when he looked over at Peter's plate, but his own plate had some pretty hefty helpings on them as well.

After trying to dance for a little bit, Peter stepped aside to take a break. He wasn't really much of a dancer, and from the look of it, neither was James. The boys stood by the desserts for a while before deciding to eat again. While munching on an éclair, James turned to Peter and asked, "Hey, Pete, why don't you go and grab us some, er, butterbeers?"

Peter said "Ok" and then went off in search of some drinks. He weaved in and out of crowds to find where the butterbeers were. He found the drinks and picked out two bottles that looked very chilled. He opened his almost immediately, and took a big gulp. The liquid was delicious streaming down his throat.

Peter had finished his butterbeer and was considering going back for another when he spotted James.

"James! James! I got you a butterbeer!" He yelled at the back of his friend.

James turned around and smiled slightly. He took the butterbeer out of Peter's hand. For the rest of the night, the two boys kept each other entertained.

Soon the party started to clear out, and Peter's mother returned for him. He didn't want to go but knew that since the next day was Christmas, there was no use fighting. He said goodbye to James, and left with his mum.

For the remainder of the holiday, Peter was stuck helping his mother with her chores. He was thankful when it came time to return to Hogwarts.

--

A/N: How I wish it were Christmas now! Lucky me it is the holiday season (the few weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas) Ok, first off, I'm American so writing a British Christmas was pretty difficult because I really don't know how things go over there, so bear with me! Please read and review…let me know how I'm doing! I love getting feedback! Another thing I would like to touch on. I have been working on this story since June, and I waited until I had a significant portion done before uploading this, because I wanted to make sure I could make regular updates. Unfortunately with the plethora of computer problems I have been facing, it's been almost two months where I have had very limiter computer access (which sucks but that is a whole new bag of worms). This means that as of right now (that is to say Thursday, December 1, 2005) this chapter (the one you just read) is my last completed chapter until somewhere after my characters leave Hogwarts. Actually that's a lie, I have one from 7th year also, but nonetheless it still does me no good. As it is now the holiday season, my life will be consumed by the evil thing that is holiday shopping so I don't know how far I will get from now until a few days after Christmas. I am kind of at a loss for things to make my story pass, so it is going very slowly. I apologize to anyone who reads this story, and I am trying my best to be as speedy as possible. I had really hoped to be much further in this story by this point, but circumstances change. Bear with me, I am writing as fast as my creative side will let me. In the meantime, try to think of ideas you may have for first and second year, and keep encouraging me to carry on through the stresses of working for the devil at Christmastime.

Oh, and I really need ideas on how to pass the time. I want to build the friendships and stuff now, but all my ideas are from about 5th year on. So if anyone has any suggestions for little things I can slip in it would be greatly appreciated, and I will put you name in the story somewhere. Thanks!

**One last important note! I am putting this story on a holiday hiatus. I think this is a pretty fitting place to stop for now, and I need to play catch up (as was explained in my a/n). I would like to get through at least the summer of 1972 before I upload again, just because I like to have the next chapter completed, and as mentioed already, I have run out of my reserve of chapters. Have a great holiday and I will "see" you in January!**

in the meanrime (and i aploagize for this abnormally long a/n, but i was creating a timeline and added info about birthdays to Sirius's and Remus's chapter (well actually I chaned Sirius's birthday from April to December, but I actually added a small bit to Remus's chapter).

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way to procrastinate on doing my homework. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners


	14. Water Under the Bridge

NOTE, this is an IMPORTANT a/n: I don't know what happened, but I can't seem to get back into this story. I feel horrible because I know that it really irks me when authors do the same thing, and I had planned this past summer to make sure this wouldn't ever happen. But there were unforeseeable things that ruined all. I really hope that at some point I am able to get back into this story, because I really do have a personal attachment to it, but I wanted to let anyone who is still reading this know that I am putting it on an indefinite vacation. If it gets to the point that I really can't finish it, I may just ask for emails or something and send what I have so you all can see what I had in store for these guys. I was so in love with the idea of this story in the beginning, and I loved writing stuff way in the future. I have a very clear idea of hat is to come I just can't get from here to there right now. I'm going to try my very hardest to complete this story for anyone who may be attached to it in any way. I really don't want to leave this unfinished, but I need to let my readers know that for now, this is the "end" of the story. It is nowhere near the end of my tale, but I suppose it is a good breaking place. Hopefully after the semester is over I will have time to relax and pump by creative juices. Thank you to all my readers, and I hope you guys are willing to wait for this…and if not oh well, thanks for stopping by! captainwaldo.

Water Under the Bridge

_So while this storm is breaking  
While there's light at the end of the tunnel  
Keep running towards it  
Releasing the pressure, that's my heartache  
Soon this dam will break  
__-"Feels like today" Rascal Flatts_

School was back in session, and the teachers seemed to think it was time to start preparing for end of term examinations. The first years noticed a significant increase in their weekly workload, and by Valentine's Day were wondering if it would ever end.

--

"So much homework!" Sirius said one Saturday afternoon in the common room. "Can't we go for a stroll around the castle? Maybe we'll run into Snivelers."

"No, Sirius, you are four days behind on your homework." Remus answered. He had become the authority figure of the group, which naturally meant that James and Sirius rarely listened to him.

"Psh, homework, who needs that anyway? I do just fine on tests."

"You may do fine on tests, but homework also counts toward your final marks. You don't want to have to repeat your first year now do you?"

"Technically its still second year just with first year classes." Sirius said smugly.

"Alright, if you want to be in all classes with first years next year, then go and find Snivelers. I'll be here finishing my Potions essay, and no you can not copy it later tonight." Remus said. Sirius looked defeated, and picked his quill back up and resumed writing.

"You are no fun Lupin, no fun at all."

"I'm sorry Sirius. But you're right. I am zero fun. Now get back to work."

--

The second Gryffindor quidditch game of the year was held the third Saturday in February. The game was considered to be an easy victory for Gryffindor, they were playing against Hufflepuff, who hadn't had a decent quidditch team in nearly three decades.

Jena, Chrissy and Adrianne tried to drag Lily along, but she flat out refused. The three girls went down anyway, and met up with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"Where's Evans?" James asked after nothing the three girls.

"You know, James, maybe she would like you better if you didn't always refer to her as 'Evans,' she does have a first name." Adrianne said.

"She calls me 'Potter' why can't I call her 'Evans?'"

"Lily, didn't want to come to the game. She said she had studying to do, or something." Jena explained, trying to avoid an argument.

"Who studies when there is quidditch to be watched?" James asked, sounding perturbed.

"Apparently no one." Came the voice of Lily from behind the group. "It is simply impossible to study with all the noise coming from down here."

The eight students sat together, Lily and James on opposite ends, and cheered for their house team. By the end of the game, their voices were coarse from all the cheering.

As was predicted, Gryffindor pulled off and easy victory, 380-30. A party was held in the common room that night.

--

Before anyone knew it, the Easter Holidays were upon them, and then it was nearly time for exams. And though the students thought June was quite far off, the Professors seemed to think it was rapidly approaching. The first years noticed another heavy increase in their homework load.

"Exams aren't for another two months. Why are we studying now?" Sirius whined one afternoon as the four boys sat in the library writing essays for History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Potions.

"Because the more you learn now the less you will have to cram the night before the exams." Remus answered, not even looking up from his essay.

"Because for some reason we decided it was a good idea to listen to Remus when there is a whole castle for us to be roaming." James corrected. Remus looked up from his essay and gave James one of his looks. One of those looks that says "Get back to work, or else" and makes you not want to know what the "or else" is.

--

Lily and Adrianne walked into the first year girl's dormitory to find several of Chrissy and Jena's textbooks laying ignored on the floor, and the two girls standing on their beds, tossing a small blue ball back and forth.

Upon further inspection, Lily noticed that the small blue ball was actually a rolled up sock. "What are you two doing?" Lily asked, half amused and half confused.

"We have been throwing Jean's sock back and forth for," Chrissy looks at her watch. "For over an hour now, and we haven't dropped it once. Ok, we dropped it once, but that was at the very beginning of the game, so it doesn't count."

"Why?" Adrianne asked.

"Because its fun." Jena said, tossing the sock in Adrianne's direction. Adrianne caught it with her left hand, and tossed it back to Jena, who threw it to Chrissy.

"I didn't know you were left handed Adrianne." Chrissy said, throwing the ball back to Adrianne.

"I'm not." Adrianne said, catching again with her left hand.

"Then why are you using your left hand?" Chrissy asked, watching Adrianne throw to Jena who passed the sock on to her.

"That's a good question. I'm not left handed. I write with my right hand. I use my wand in my right hand. I do everything with my right hand."

"Except catching and throwing socks." Jena said, throwing the sock at Adrianne.

The game went on for a few more throws, before Adrianne turned to Lily. "Heads up." Adrianne said as she prepared to throw the sock at her friend.

"No! I'll drop it. I am horrible at games like this." Lily said, as she sat down to watch.

"Oh come on Lily, just try. We'll take it easy on you." Jena said.

"No really, you two have been playing this for too long. I don't want to mess up your game."

"Alright, but its going to get quite dull watching us having all this fun." Chrissy taunted.

Sure enough after watching for about 5 minutes, Lily asked to join. The girls were careful with her, and Jena gave her some pointers, and soon Lily was like a pro.

The sun had long since set, and the girl's room had fallen into near darkness, but they continued the game.

Off in the distance a clock was chiming midnight.

"Oh look at the time. And I've done absolutely no studying. This is going to completely throw off my study schedule!" Lily said frantically, causing Jena to pass her turn up on catching the balled up sock.

"Lily, its ok. We still have ages before exams. You'll catch up. You are already so far ahead of everyone else." Adrianne said, catching Jena's throw and passing the sock on to Chrissy.

"While Lily's logic is completely insane she does have a point. Look at the time. Chrissy, remember what happened last time we stayed up all night on a school night?" Jena said receiving Chrissy's throw.

"True. But at least there are no Charms test tomorrow…Right?" Chrissy agreed.

"No, Chrissy, there aren't." Lily assured Chrissy.

Adrianne thought that Lily was ready to get back into the game, and threw the sock at her red haired friend. Lily caught the sock easily, and held onto it. "I'm ending this game. It's been four hours. And honestly, I am exhausted. Good night girls." Lily set the sock down on Jena's bedside table. The other three girls all stared at the sock in shock.

"All that time….and it comes down to that?" Jena said, sounding as if she had just witnessed a death.

"Lily, how could you?" Chrissy asked, her mouth still hanging open in shock.

"I told you, I was ending the game. I'm going to bed." Lily changed into her pajamas quickly and got into bed. The other three girls we still watching the sock in shock for a good 20 minutes, until the sound of Lily's snores brought them out of their trance.

--

One morning early in May, the Great Hall was again abuzz with rumors and stories about another attack by the "Death Eaters." Nearly everyone had forgotten about the first attacks until the headlines were again plaster across the front page of the _Daily Prophet_.

This time, the attacks were on a very well known Ministry of Magic worker, and his family. It hit pretty close to home for many of the students, as his son was a 4th year Hufflepuff. He was excused from classes the rest of the term, and sent to live with relatives.

As soon as the son of the latest victims was out of the castle, stories started flying rapidly from student to student, house to house. Within a week everyone seemed to know everything about the murders, as well as a bunch of rumors about them.

At dinner one evening, Professor Dumbledore decided to address the school on the latest gossip. "Attention, attention please." Dumbledore said rising from his seat. "In light of recent events I would like to remind you that as long as you reside within these walls you are safe from the outside world. The Ministry of Magic is doing everything in its power to find these Death Eaters and end the murders. Until the day they are all locked away in Azkaban, there is always the threat of attack, but I assure you, the wizarding world has seen darker days.

"Many of your parents have owled me in regards to your safety, and as I have just assured you, I have ensured them that there are more than just walls protecting this castle.

"I am going to ask that you try to keep the rumors to a minimum. It is impossible for me to believe that talk will cease with this request, but I ask that you all focus on your studies.

"I believe I have delayed the filling of your stomachs long enough. Dig in." As soon as the words escaped from Dumbledore's mouth, food appeared on the tables and the hall erupted in noise. This was the first school wide meal since the Halloween feast, and the food seemed to mimic that. No one questioned the random feast, especially because of the wide variety of foods available.

Down the Gryffindor table, Lily and Adrianne were discussing Dumbledore's speech.

"I never even thought about my parents. Should I tell them?" Lily asked, scooping potatoes onto her plate.

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to worry Grand- père about this. Especially if Professor Dumbledore says that we have nothing to worry about while we're at Hogwarts."

"But what about over the summer?"

"It's just been wizards who've been murdered right?"

"No, remember the first murders, there were muggles killed too."

"But they were friends of the wizards."

"You don't think being witches will put our families lives in jeopardy, do you Lily?"

"I don't know Adrianne, I really don't know."

"Don't take this personally Lily, but do you really think that you would be that important? I mean the first muggle killed was a friend of a well known ministry worker." Jena offered, hoping to calm her friend down a bit.

"I suppose your right Jena." Lily agreed, playing with the food on her plate.

--

Further down the Gryffindor table, the first year boys were discussing a prank they had planned for later that night. They had disregarded Dumbledore's speech them moment he was finished.

--

As before, the gossip about the most recent murders died down quickly after Dumbledore addressed the school. Students got on with their lives, and returned to the usual subjects of gossip, who fancies who, and who's cheating on whom with who.

--

Much to the dismay of the Gryffindor first year students, end of term exams were upon them. Lily and Adrianne spent every spare moment in the library, usually accompanied by Remus. The trio would study their combined notes from the previous year. They would quiz one another, and run through old homework assignments.

Jena and Chrissy tried to come along for one study session, but ended up getting kicked out by Lily because they were being to distracting. Jena used one of Lily's note cards to write S.O.S. messages to Chrissy, who was sitting across the table from her. The two girls would giggle under their breath with every "Help me" message Jena would construct. Finally it got to the point that no studying was getting done, and Lily had to ask them to leave.

Another night Remus dragged Sirius, James, and Peter along to the library. Lily snorted loudly when she saw who was following Remus into the library.

"This should be interesting." Lily said in an undertone to Adrianne, who was reading through a chapter about forgetfulness potions.

"More interesting than last week?" Adrianne asked, referring to the night Jena and Chrissy tagged along.

"Its Potter and Black. They never study. What was Remus thinking bringing them along?"

"Maybe they followed him."

"Why on earth would either of them willingly enter the library?"

"James did it once."

"Once, and it was James. I seriously doubt they volunteered for this study session. Hi Remus." Lily said barely taking a breath between statements because Remus had reached their table.

"Hi Lily, hi Adrianne. I hope you don't mind I brought company." Remus said, his expression making it apparent that he knew they did mind but wouldn't say anything.

"Shall we get started then?" Adrianne asked, turning the page of her Potions textbook.

The six first years sat silently reading through notes for nearly 10 minutes.

"Can I leave now Remus?" Sirius whined, breaking the silence. Remus shot a Sirius a look that clearly said, "no, and be quiet."

Adrianne could sense that Lily was getting annoyed. "Lily, will you quiz me on potions?"

Lily agreed, and for a while, was distracted from the distractions sitting at the table next to her. Adrianne, however, wasn't quite as oblivious as Lily at that moment. James had formed a paper airplane out of a piece of parchment, and had bewitched it to fly around the table. Not only was Adrianne impressed with the magic, but she was also impressed that James would even know how to make a paper airplane.

James's paper airplane flew circles around James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus for a while, not venturing over to Lily and Adrianne's side of the table.

Unfortunately, the airplane seemed to tire of it's intended path, and strayed. It crash-landed in the worst possible place, Lily's hair. The color of her face quickly matched the color of her hair, and she looked furious. Adrianne tried to sit Lily down while Remus pushed James out of his seat and into the direction of the library door. Sirius and Peter followed suit, and within a few minutes, Lily was back to her original coloring.

Remus cautiously watched Lily and chose the most opportune moment to apologize. "Lily, I'm sorry. I should have known-"

"It's ok Remus." The three students studied silently until dinner.

--

One week before end of term exams was the full moon. Remus felt sick to his stomach every time he thought about missing a night of studying with Lily and Adrianne. The night before the full moon, as the trio was leaving the library, Remus told Lily and Adrianne he wouldn't be able to make it the next night.

"My mum is really ill right now. I'm going home tomorrow after classes to see her, so I won't be able to study with you tomorrow." Remus said, avoiding eye contact with the girls.

"Oh I'm so sorry Remus. Is it really bad?" Lily asked.

"Er, yeah. They, er, they don't know if she'll get any better this time."

"Wow, and so close to the end of term. I really hope she does get better Remus."

"Thanks Adrianne."

--

Remus waited at the Portrait hole entrance at 4:15. His stomach was turning summersaults. This was horrible timing for the full moon. End of year exams were in less then a week, and Remus felt like he still had so much studying to do. At 4:25, Madame Pomfrey arrived, and led Remus down to the Whomping Willow.

Remus was left alone in the completely secured Shack; left alone to think about his fate. The sun was setting, and the shack was getting dark. Remus shivered. Soon the moon would take over, and boy would become monster.

--

Jena and Chrissy tried studying with Lily and Adrianne again. They seemed to have realized that exams were less then a week away. Unlike the last time, Jena spent the entire study session asking Lily questions about Potions and Defense. Lily was annoyed to be taken away from her own studying, but glad that Jena decided to actually study this time. Chrissy was silently reading her History book.

--

James, Sirius, and Peter were sitting in the common room, bored out of their minds. Everyone around them was bent over a textbook, or rolls of parchment. They had been yelled at more than once for being too loud, and had received more dirty looks then any three boys could have imagined getting. After about 40 minutes of deafening silence and glares, the three boys headed up to their dormitory where they could be as loud as they wanted.

Several games of exploding snap, and chess later, the boys fell asleep on the floor. James woke up sometime well past midnight, and moved to his bed, but when he awoke in the morning, Sirius and Peter were curled up together on the floor. James wished he had a camera to use as blackmail for his two friends.

Sirius was the first one of the pair to awake, and his nearly screamed when he saw James smirking at him from a very short distance.

"What the-" Sirius said.

"Good morning, mate. Sleep well?" James said through his smirk.

"How…what…Peter?" Sirius said in confusion.

"I don't know mate, this is how you were when I woke up."

"And where were you?"

"In bed, where I fell asleep last night."

"Riiiight." Sirius said, obviously not believing him.

--

When exams were finally upon them, the first year Gryffindors were all prepared in varying degrees. Lily, Adrianne, and Remus could recite almost all of their notes on cue. Jena and Chrissy were burnt out from their last minute cram sessions the weekend before exams started. James, and Sirius were as prepared as they ever would be, meaning not much at all. But they were smart enough to not really have to worry about it. Peter, on the other hand, was panicked. He did much less studying then he should have, and knew it was going to hurt him.

They all managed to make it through exams in fairly good spirits. Jena and Chrissy had accepted the fact that they weren't going to do as well as Lily, Adrianne, and Remus, but they did feel pretty good about their performances. Peter knew he failed miserably on Potions. James and Sirius were convinced they aced all of their exams, and while Lily panicked, she, Adrianne, and Remus were also fairly certain they were going to do well.

Now all they had to do was relax and enjoy the last week of the term, before it was time to leave Hogwarts for the summer.

--

"I'm going to miss you this summer Lily." Adrianne said as the two young girls finished packing their belongings, which had scattered all over the room.

"I'm going to miss you too, Adrianne. I don't think life at home will ever be the same." Lily said, finding her butterfly hairpin on the floor under Chrissy's bed.

"It'll be fine Lily. I'm sure your sister will realize you are the same as you were last summer."

"Its not just Petunia. I realized it over the Christmas holidays. My parents don't understand me anymore. Its like we're from two different worlds."

"Well, you sort of are. But it's the same with my Grand-pére. He doesn't really understand Hogwarts, but he tries. And that should be all that matters."

"I suppose. But I still don't know what I am going to do for an entire summer away from here."

"You can write all the time, and maybe if you're ever in London we can meet up."

"Yeah, we could do that."

"And I will write you often too. And if we do go to the Chateau for my birthday, I'll be sure to send you a post card from France."

"Oh, that would be so exciting."

"Oh, look at the time. The end of term feast is about to start." Adrianne said, noticing how late it had gotten. The girls stopped what they were doing and hurried down to the Great Hall for the end of term feast.

--

"This summer is going to be so horrible." Sirius said, throwing his spare robes into his trunk.

"Don't let them get you down." James said, finding a long lost sock in the abyss under his bed. "I'll talk with my parents and we will rescue you as soon as possible."

"Thanks mate, but somehow I don't see my parents going for that."

"Then we'll kidnap you." James offered.

"Alright." The boys continued throwing their robes and belongings into their trunks, while Remus watched from over his book.

After watching James struggle to fit the last of his things in, Remus put his book down and stepped in to help. "You're never going to fit everything in like that James. You have to fold. And as an added space saver, you can stuff socks and underwear into your cauldron and shoes."

James looked at Remus in shock for a second before saying, "Have at it." Remus repacked both James's and Sirius's trunks, and then offered to help Peter with his.

--

After the feast, Lily and Adrianne were full of energy but didn't want to finish their packing. Chrissy and Jena hadn't even started, but the four girls decided to lay on their bedroom floor exchanging wild stories, and memories of their first year at Hogwarts. At midnight, Jena and Chrissy decided they really should start packing if they didn't want to be up early the next morning finishing it before breakfast.

Lily and Adrianne moved from the floor to Lily's bed. It seemed more like they were leaving each other forever, rather than for just a summer.

"Let's make a pact." Adrianne suggested.

"What sort of pact?" Lily asked.

"I don't know, it just feels like we should make a pact. How about, best friends forever."

"Sisters….sisters forever."

"The sisterhood of….of…" Adrianne looked around the room trying to find something to name themselves after. She spotted the satin slippers her Grand-pére had given her for her eleventh birthday. "The sisterhood of the satin slippers." Adrianne proclaimed. Jena and Chrissy looked aver at the two girls in confusion.

"Ok, the sisterhood of the satin slippers. And we swear we will always be best friends and never keep secrets from one another."

"And we will make the Marauders rue the day they ever tried to mess with us!"

"Can we join?" Jena and Chrissy asked in excitement.

"Of course. The four of us, we're sisters now." Adrianne said.

"Shouldn't we have some sort of motto or initiation or something."

"Well, we're the sisterhood of the satin slippers, so we should do something with Adrianne's slippers." Lily suggested.

"Like what?" Adrianne asked.

"We should all rub them and, and we should say something." Jena suggested.

"But what?" Chrissy asked.

"Best friends forever." Lily said quietly. The four girls each put their right hand on the slippers laying in front of them, and in unison said "Best friends forever."

--

After returning to their room from the feast, the boys played a few games of exploding snap before their full bellies and a week of doing nothing took over and they decided to get some sleep.

--

The next morning, the first year Gryffindors woke up early to catch a quick breakfast before the train left the Hogsmead station. After breakfast, they double-checked under their beds and behind furniture for anything they might have missed. Trunks were to be brought down to the Entrance Hall, so until it was time to go down, the Gryffindor common room was even more crowded then it should have been.

Lily, Jena, Adrianne, and Chrissy managed to find a corner to themselves. Jena pulled a camera out of her bag and said, "I want to take a picture, of the four of us. My dad can develop them at home and I can send you each a copy if you would like."

The other three girls agreed, and they grabbed a nearby third year to take the picture. The four girls wrapped their arms around each other and smiled their brightest smiles, but the third year didn't seem to know how to use the camera. In the time it took for Jena to verbally explain, Adrianne noticed Remus heading toward the portrait hole and called him over.

"Jena is it alright if Remus gets into the picture?" Adrianne asked.

"Sure." Jena answered. The third year seemed to know what she was doing now, and the five friends prepared for the picture. No one noticed James and Sirius creeping into the camera's view. It wasn't until Peter tripped over his own foot and nearly knocked Jena and Chrissy over.

A flash startled the group, causing Peter to almost knock everyone over again.

"Great, now she figures out how to use my camera!" Jena said sarcastically. She turned to Peter, but before she could yell at him, she noticed James and Sirius standing behind the girls. "No, no, you are not, no." Jena said.

"Aww, I'm hurt." James said, in a mock hurt voice.

"Really Jena, you don't want something to remember us by over the long summer break?" Sirius added.

"No, I don't. Now go." Jena answered.

"What about Peter? He's the one who messed up the perfect picture." James said.

"He's out too."

"Alright, alright, I can tell when I'm not wanted." Sirius said. "Let's go, we don't need to feel loved." He led James and Peter away from the picture. Jena turned back to her friends and the five first years got back into formation for the picture.

By the time the picture debacle was over, it was time to get down to the Entrance Hall. The hall was crowded with students, professors, trunks, and animals. Slowly the hall started to empty out as students were loaded into carriages that led them back to the Hogsmead station where they would catch the Hogwarts Express back to London.

--

The train ride to London seemed to pass by in a mere moment. The Gryffindor first years exchanged their goodbyes, and promised to keep in touch over the two-month holiday on the platform before heading out into the muggle world to meet their parents.

--

A/N: Sorry this took so long! I was super busy over my Christmas break, working and all, and I was just so exhausted and unmotivated to write anything. If there is anything you want to see, offer it up as a suggestion and I will work with it or play around with it. Thanks for bearing with me, and hopefully we will meet again soon!

DISCLAIMER: I do no own any of this nor am I making any profit, this is just my way to procrastinate on doing my homework. All names, places, ect. From the Harry Potter world belong to JK Rowling and the publishers ect. and the song quotes belong to their respective artists and the correct rights owners


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